Between Politics and Reason: The Drug Legalization Debate

by Erich Goode

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312132972
• ISBN13: 9780312132972
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: W.H. Freeman & Company
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Brief, but excellent.

"Between Politics and Reason: The Drug Legalization Debate" by Dr. Erich S. Goode is without a doubt the best and most balanced book on this issue that I have read. (Aside from the edited anthology "The Drug Legalization Debate" by Inciardi et al.) The kicker? It's also the shortest, checking in at just under 200 pages. Dr. Goode examines the numerous damages that the War on Drugs in the United States has caused, but he also does one thing different that I have not seen in many other "legalization vs. criminalization" type books: He does not resort to the rhetoric of "a legalization plan is our only workable alternative to these problems." Matter of fact, he actually challenges several of the most popular assumptions of the legalizers in many of the book's passages. For instance, in Chapter 9 (Drugs and Crime) Goode writes "It is not inconceivable that, under legalization, the current drug arrest figures may actually rise as a result of two developments: One, as I argued, under legalization, more people will use drugs; and two, the police will use charges like public intoxication and driving while under the influence as a new means of controlling drug abuse. In any case, an alcohol-type legal control system will not eliminate drug arrests--and it may actually increase them." Amongst members of the pro-legalization camp, it has become something of an article of faith that legalizing some or all of the currently illegal drugs will reduce not only their use but also the crime rate associated with them, but Dr. Goode makes us aware that there is more to this issue than meets the eye; primarily because a causal link between crime and drugs has yet to be discovered. I was also shocked by one of Dr. Goode's conclusions in the book: Tighter controls on the currently legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, may even save more lives than any proposed legalization/decriminalization/harm reduction plan. The book is meticulously researched, and Goode covers all the necessary bases for someone who is looking for a solid introduction to this debate. Highly recommended.

Good drug legalization analysis

In this brief analysis, Goode takes the reader beyond the value statements and ideology that characterize most conversation about drugs in the US, analysing the real cost in dollars and lives, and how the equation might change under various legalization proposals. He thoroughly presents the physical and social effects of most of America's commonly abused drugs, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol. In the end, Goode suggests a number of ways to mitigate the damage of tobacco and alcohol, many of which have been implemented since the book's publication. The book's shortcoming, if any, is that it completely ignores America's most commonly used drug, caffeine. He gives just half a sentance on the drug, saying that it is a mild stimulant with no euphoric effect. If you have any interest at all in the subject, you will find this a valuable book. It is concise, but offers thorough references, and aside from the above-mentioned suggestions, reads like a recent publication.