Should All Drugs Be Legalized?: A primer for the 21st century

Description

A timely re-examination of the pros and cons of legalizing drug use. Combining a unique visual approach with carefully constructed narrative text, this book provides a survey of the history of drug use, a review of the impact of the war on drugs, an appraisal of the effects of legal vs illegal drugs and an evaluation of the impact of the decriminalization of drugs. According to archaeological and historical records, ethanol in the form of beer in Sumeria and wine in Egypt has been used recreationally for 13,000 years, while psychotropic drugs have been used for thousands of years, mainly for religious purposes. This book sets out the history of the use of drugs since the Neolithic age, and explores the evolution of recreational drug use from the mid-18th century on. It considers the lethal and social impact of heavy use of legal alcohol or nicotine vs the hazards to health and society associated with illegal drugs. It evaluates the effects of the 50-year failed global war on drugs on the criminal production and trafficking of drugs on the black market and on the abuse, health and imprisonment of end users. Finally, it argues for the decriminalization of all drugs and the state regulation of the drug market, with suitable controls and regulation for each drug type.

Mattha Busby has written widely on drug and health policy, human rights, society and the environment. Currently living in Mexico, he is a freelance journalist who reports regularly for the Guardian and VICE magazine. He is most interested in solutions-based journalism that highlights potential remedies to social issues and the barriers that their introductions face. He won the Hugh Cudlipp award for journalism in 2018 for a series of articles on the gambling industry. Mattha, born in Bletchley, UK, has a BA in History and International Relations from Royal Holloway, University of London, and an MA in Journalism from Goldsmiths college. He has also studied at Concordia University, Canada.

A brisk and informative introduction to the case for decriminalizing drugs... [Busby] builds a convincing case that the current system is not working. Enriched by vibrant photographs and plenty of statistical and anecdotal evidence, this is an invigorating argument for rethinking humankind's relationship with mind-altering substances.-- "Publishers Weekly" A graphic-rich book whose title thesis is asked and answered in a cogent narrative... Tinged with plenty of nuance.-- "Kirkus Reviews"