This compact and innovative book tackles one of the central issues in drug policy: the lack of a coherent conceptual structure for thinking about drugs. Drugs generally fall into one of seven categories: prescription, over the counter, alternative medicine, common-use drugs like alcohol, tobacco and caffeine; religious-use, sports enhancement; and of course illegal street drugs like cocaine and marijuana. Our thinking and policies varies wildly from one to the other, with inconsistencies that derive more from cultural and social values than from medical or scientific facts. Penalties exist for steroid use, while herbal remedies or cold medication are legal. Native Americans may legally use peyote, but others may not. Penalties may vary for using different forms of the same drug, such as crack vs. powder cocaine. Herbal remedies are unregulated by the FDA; but medical marijuana is illegal in most states. Battin and her contributors lay a foundation for a wiser drug policy by promoting consistency and coherency in the discussion of drug issues and by encouraging a unique dialogue across disciplines. The contributors are an interdisciplinary group of scholars mostly based at the University of Utah, and include a pharmacologist, a psychiatrist, a toxicologist, a trial court judge, a law professor, an attorney, a diatary specialist, a physician, a health expert on substance abuse, and Battin herself who is a philosopher. They consider questions like the historical development of current policy and the rationales for it; scientific views on how drugs actually cause harm; how to define the key notions of harm and addiction; and ways in which drug policy can be made more consistent. They conclude with an examination of the implications of a consistent policy for various disciplines and society generally. The book is written accessibly with little need for expert knowledge, and will appeal to a diverse audience of philosophers, bioethicists, clinicians, policy makers, law enforcement, legal scholars and practitioners, social workers, and general readers, as well as to students in areas like pharmacy, medicine, law, nursing, sociology, social work, psychology, and bioethics.
By:
Margaret P. Battin (Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine Division of Medical Ethics University of Utah),
Erik Luna (Professor of Law,
University of Utah),
Arthur G. Lipman (Director of Clinical Pharmacology,
University of Utah),
Paul M. Gahlinger (Adjunct Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine,
University of Utah),
Douglas E. Rollins (Professor of Pharmacology and Toxology,
University of Utah)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 144mm,
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 449g
ISBN: 9780195321005
ISBN 10: 0195321006
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 27 November 2008
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword: The Many Faces of Drugs: A Personal PerspectivePeter J Cohen: Preface 1: Drugs Across the Board : Toward a Consistent, Coherent, Comprehensive View in Drug Theory, Policy, and Practice 2: How Did It Come to Be This Way?: The Historical Development of Drug Regulation 3: Drug Regulatory Agencies and the Underlying Rationales for Drug Policy 4: Core Conceptual Problems: Addiction 5: Core Conceptual Problems: Harm (and Benefit) 6: Dilemmas of Drug Management and Control: Case Puzzles and Studies in Conflict 7: Toward Justice in Drug Theory, Policy, and Practice Bibliography
Margaret P. Battin is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Ethics, University of Utah. Erik Luna is Professor of Law, University of Utah Arthur G. Lipman is Director of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Utah Paul M. Gahlinger is Adjunct Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah
Reviews for Drugs and Justice: Seeking a Consistent, Coherent, Comprehensive View
<br> The monograph is cohesive, well written, and unbiased; the extensive references and bibliography should be most valuable. Highly recommended. --R.S. Kowalczyk, CHOICE<br> This chewy, provocative, interdisciplinary collaboration by a group of academic experts at the University of Utah appears formidable at first glance, but turns out to be remarkably rewarding. In what they bill as a search for justice when it comes to drugs, the authors delve deep into the fundamental theoretical questions at the center of the debates over drugs -- What is addiction? What is harm? -- as well as the history of how we got to where we are and how we can get to a better place. Their search for justice in drug policy takes them to some very interesting places and takes the reader on a fascinating ride. --Drug War Chronicle<br>
