What Treats Drug Abuse?

Do all drug abusers need treatment? No. Natural recovery—also called “self-change” or “spontaneous remission”—is the most frequent exit from all manner of problem behaviors, including abuse of, or dependency on, alcohol, illicit drugs, cigarettes, shopping, and gambling. Calling the process “spontaneous” or “natural” is a...

Why Is “Drug” the Name of a Problem?

What is a drug? A drug is a chemical that influences biological function (other than by providing nutrition or hydration). Some drugs come from plants, some from laboratories. Some are traditional and familiar, others novel. A drug’s effects can be benign or harmful,...

Conclusion: What Is To Be Done?

The answer to that crucial question depends on judgments about right and wrong, and about the relative importance of different good and bad things, as well as on predictions about the outcomes of alternative policies. It also depends on one’s willingness—or reluctance—to make big changes....

How Does Drug-Law Enforcement Work?

How is drug enforcement unlike enforcement of other laws? Illicit drugs are traded in markets, and the effects of enforcement depend on the response of buyers and sellers. Dealers adapt to enforcement pressure, and seized drugs and traffickers tend to be replaced. Criminal justice sanctions...

When It Comes To Drugs, Why Can’t We Think Calmly and Play Nice?

Why do arguments about drug policy get so irrational and so mean-spirited? Patterns of drug taking are intertwined with personal and social identity. The drugs people use, or don’t use, define them as much as their clothing, the music they listen to, the sports they...

How Much Crime Is Drug-Related?

Is it drugs that cause crimes, or drug policies? Both. The relationship between drug use and crime is complicated. It isn’t as simple as a drug-crazed person losing control and going on a rampage. Although certain types of substance-abusing offenders actively engage in crimes directly...

Why Have Drug Laws?

What is drug-abuse control policy? That drugs are sometimes used beneficially, and sometimes abused, is not a new insight: the Bible has some nice things to say about wine and some rude things to say about drunkenness. Individuals and groups defend themselves against drug-abuse risks...

Introduction

The devastation wrought by drugs and drug dealing is familiar from the daily news and carefully documented in academic journals. Illegal drugs get the most attention. A quarter of 14- to 15-year-olds in the United States have already tried an illegal drug. Injection drug use...

Can Drug Problems Be Dealt With at the Source?

Do international programs offer a quick fix to drug problems? Most illicit drugs consumed in most countries around the world have been imported from abroad. This understandably fuels desires to get to the root of drug problems by stopping drug production in source countries. But...

What Are the Benefits of Drug Use?

Can abusable drugs be beneficial? Yes, in many ways, some recognized by the current laws, others not. The international drug-control treaties and associated national drug-control laws include explicit lists (“schedules”) of substances that have medical use and also carry a risk of abuse. Painkillers, notably...