Drugs: Should We Legalize, Decriminalize or Deregulate? (Contemporary Issues)

Does drug addiction exist? Do we have a right to use drugs? Is personal responsibility achieved at the cost of individual liberty? Can drugs ever be controlled? Would a free market in drugs reduce social problems? This rich and diverse collection assembles a wide range of views in the ongoing debate over drug legalization, decriminalization, and deregulation in America.Reformers looking to lighten and eliminate drug laws are a divided group, with some claiming that drug abuse is a disease, a national health problem that should be treated as such, while those committed to the "war on drugs" stress personal responsibility, and that there is no such thing as the "disease" of addiction. Attitudes are splintered over government involvement in enforcement and regulation.Psychologist Jeffrey A. Schaler seeks to expand our thinking about drug control in a free society by looking at the ethical issues as well as anthropological, sociological, economic, political, and philosophical questions that arise in the debate. This important volume includes essays by William Bennett, Rep. Joseph Biden, President Clinton, Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Thomas Szasz, George Will, John Q. Wilson, and many others.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573921963
• ISBN13: 9781573921961
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 357 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.2" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Diverse collection of hard to find material

Dr. Jeffrey Schaler edits a collection of public policy wonk/highbrow academic articles on an contentious and important subject: the war on drugs. What most impressed me about this book was Dr. Schaler's well-balanced approach to article inclusion. While he makes no secret of his own views on the subject (Schaler is emphatically against the war on drugs), he offers several strong pieces on the other side of the issue as well.This book may not be easy to get into for someone not accustomed to the Public Policy academic cadence, but in my opinion the material is worth the extra effort to anyone concerned about the efficacy of the current war on drugs.

Examination of the premises of the drug war.

I can't believe that no one has reviewed this excellent book yet. This book is a collection of essays exploring the pros and cons of legalization. The first half features essays by those who are against legalization. Afterwards, there is a section on medical marijuana. The last part of the book is essays opposing drug prohibition, featuring such authors as Thomas Szasz, Milton Friedman, and Bruce Alexander. Read this book and decide for yourself if drug legalization is necessary, or if it would be a catastrophe.