“I have to make sure I don't engage in conversations with people who don't abide by the rules of evidence.” - Dr. Carl Hart
DRUG USE FOR GROWN-UPS
I wrote this book to present a more realistic image of the typical drug user: a responsible professional who happens to use drugs in his pursuit of happiness. Also, I wanted to remind the public that no benevolent government should forbid autonomous adults from altering their consciousness, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.
After reading this book, I hope you will be less likely to vilify individuals merely because they use drugs. That thinking has led to an incalculable number of deaths and an enormous amount of suffering. I am confident that you will come away with an appreciation for the prodigious potential good derived from drug use and a deeper understanding of why so many responsible grown-ups engage in this behavior.
If the ideas expressed in this book are embraced, we can get on with the business of treating each other better and enjoying more meaningful and fulfilling lives. And isn’t that what we all want?
A timely, fact-based, coherent, humane counterargument to America’s spectacularly failed War on Drugs.
A Starred Review Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear. By Carl L. Hart Jan. 2021. By grown-ups, Columbia University psychology professor Hart, who studies the effects of psychoactive drugs in humans, here means “autonomous,
Hart’s scientific training and personal use of drugs has informed his research and opinions, but the book is also shaped by his experience as a Black man.
A Starred Review As more and more states across the country legalize marijuana, and as popular opinion toward the war on drugs sours, Dr. Carl L. Hart’s new book arrives at the perfect time. In Drug Use for Grown-Ups:
Breaking Drug Taboos.
I grew up in the suburban world of D.A.R.E. programs and alarmist anti-drug PSAs, so I approached this book with knee-jerk skepticism. Won’t illicit drugs, save for marijuana, almost always lead to addiction? Aren’t most controlled substances inherently dangerous?
Sandra Bland’s Toxicology Report Does Not Support Reefer Madness Claims
“the “drug-crazed black person” myth continues to be revitalized decade after decade by racists masquerading as public servants.”
Come Over by Damon X
"Science should be driving our drug policies, even if it makes us uncomfortable."
-Dr. Carl Hart
Testing Positive for Marijuana Does Not Indicate Impairment
It is important that our laws focus on impairment rather than on simply whether a substance had been found in a person’s system.
This Is Your Brain on Drug Education
While the goal of decreasing drug abuse is a commendable one, these types of media campaigns have been shown to have no effect on drug use or abuse.
Unsportsmanlike conduct: NFL’s pot policy is out of line
The low levels of THC that will trigger a positive urine result in professional football can no longer be justified on the basis of player safety or marijuana’s effects on game-day performance.
Addiction is not a brain disease!
The vast majority of the people who use heroin don’t need treatment.
The war on drugs is also a war on pregnant women & mothers
