Books
These are all informative and honest, easy-to-read titles, and make great introductions to the topics they cover.
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Chasing the Scream:
The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari
2015, 300 pages Follow a journalist's journey to understand addiction and the impact of a century fighting the modern war on (some) drug users. Hari navigates the history and research, visiting nine countries to interview key people, big and small, in the drug prohibition story so we can finally learn from our past and switch to a system that heals instead of harms. A new 2019 edition is available called Chasing the Scream: The Opposite of Addiction is Connection. ChasingTheScream.com Read the first chapter at SBS.com.au. Preview available at Google Books, OverDrive.com,& Amazon. Borrow from the Internet Archive. |
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Good Cop, Bad War:
My Undercover Life Inside Britain's Biggest Drug Gangs by Neil Woods, JS Rafaeli
2016, 312 pages A view of Prohibition from an undercover police officer tasked with infiltrating and bringing down England's drug networks. From the early 90s to 2000s Woods was a street performer playing the desperate addict looking for his next fix. His experience is an engaging dive into a dangerous role the endless War on Drug Users forces upon those tasked with fighting it. Read the first 3 chapters at OverDrive.com. Shorter preview available at Amazon.co.uk. |
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Honorable Intentions:
The Odyssey of a American Warrior who Kept his Eyes Wide Open and is Willing to Stand Up and Pull the Veil Away on What is Really Happening by Russell Jones
2012, 278 pages The autobiographical story of a pilot who learned the lessons of fighting endless wars the hard way. Jones makes it through the War on Communism in Vietnam – his once firm faith in the US and its war efforts now shaken – only to dive into Nixon's War on People Who Use Drugs Other Than Alcohol, Tobacco, Caffeine, and Pharmaceuticals. While similar but not as thrilling a read as Good Cop, it's better suited for Christians and PG-13 level language and those interested in Vietnam War parallels. Website and Prologue at HonorableIntentionsByRussellJones.com. Preview available at Amazon. |
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From Chocolate to Morphine:
Everything You Need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs by Andrew Weil & Winifred Rosen
2004 edition, 265 pages The best primer covering non-medical use of drugs and addiction that's not a textbook (and all the textbooks cite it). Provides the most relevant introductory info on a variety of drugs along with testimonials from people who've used or been addicted to them. Preview available at Google Books & Amazon. Borrow from the Internet Archive (1998 ed., 1993 ed.). |
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Drugs Without the Hot Air:
Minimising the Harms of Legal and Illegal Drugs by David Nutt
2012, 300 pages Great discussion of many important topics regarding drugs, their prohibition, and details how the policies in the U.K. & U.S. repeatedly conflict with the science. Preview available at Scribd & Amazon. Free EPUB file at the Internet Archive. |
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A Brief History of Drugs:
From the Stone Age to the Stoned Age by Antonio Escohotado
1999, 160 pages Valuable perspective into the discovery and use of drugs across human history, past failures at prohibitions up to the 20th century attempts at a "drug-free world." Originally published in Spanish across 15 editions from 1983 to 2006 as Historia General de Las Drogas (890 page 7th edition PDF). Other translations available in French, Italian, Portuguese, Bulgarian and Czech. Preview available at Amazon. |
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In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts:
Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Maté
2008, 420 pages A look into the lives most consumed by addictions of all kinds and the effects of trauma. Dr. Maté shares his experiences attempting to help his patients overcome their drug addictions as well as his own struggle with over-working and a problematic shopping habit. Read the introduction and first chapter at Dr. Maté's website. Preview at Google Books & Amazon. |
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10 min clip from interview with Dr. Maté:
Full interview here. Many hours of his talks surrounding the book and on addiction are freely available on Youtube and cover a lot of the ideas and anecdotes found in Hungry Ghosts.
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Ending the War on Drugs
2016, 188 pages
Introduction by Sir Richard Branson - founder of Virgin Group, philanthropist
Essays from:
Ernesto Zedillo - economist, Mexican President, 1994-2000
Fernando Henrique Cardoso - sociologist, Brazilian President, 1995-2002
Carl Hart - researcher, author, professor of neuroscience and psychology
Ruth Dreifuss - Swiss President, 1999, Head of the Federal Dept. of Home Affairs, 1993-2002
Olusegun Obasanjo - former army general, Nigerian President, 1999-2007
César Gaviria - economist, Columbian President, 1990-94
Anand Grover - senior lawyer, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, 2008-14
Michel Kazatchkine - physician, director of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 2007-12
Nick Clegg - author, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, 2010-15
George Soros - investor, business magnate, philanthropist, author
Pavel Bém - Czech physician, Mayor of Prague, 2002-10
Peter Dunne - New Zealand Member of Parliament, 1984-2017, Associate Minister of Health, 2005-08
An impressive collection of world leaders, many of them members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, bring their voices together to speak out against drug prohibition and call for reform. Each of their brief essays highlight their individual reasons for opposing the war on drugs and how it has personally affected them and their countries.
Read the Introduction at Virgin.com or preview at Amazon.
Introduction by Sir Richard Branson - founder of Virgin Group, philanthropist
Essays from:
Ernesto Zedillo - economist, Mexican President, 1994-2000
Fernando Henrique Cardoso - sociologist, Brazilian President, 1995-2002
Carl Hart - researcher, author, professor of neuroscience and psychology
Ruth Dreifuss - Swiss President, 1999, Head of the Federal Dept. of Home Affairs, 1993-2002
Olusegun Obasanjo - former army general, Nigerian President, 1999-2007
César Gaviria - economist, Columbian President, 1990-94
Anand Grover - senior lawyer, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, 2008-14
Michel Kazatchkine - physician, director of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 2007-12
Nick Clegg - author, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, 2010-15
George Soros - investor, business magnate, philanthropist, author
Pavel Bém - Czech physician, Mayor of Prague, 2002-10
Peter Dunne - New Zealand Member of Parliament, 1984-2017, Associate Minister of Health, 2005-08
An impressive collection of world leaders, many of them members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, bring their voices together to speak out against drug prohibition and call for reform. Each of their brief essays highlight their individual reasons for opposing the war on drugs and how it has personally affected them and their countries.
Read the Introduction at Virgin.com or preview at Amazon.
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After the War on Drugs:
Blueprint for Regulation by Stephen Rolles & Transform
2009, 215 pages In the space between the polar ends of war on drug users and free-market commercialization there are a variety of options and strategies for better controlling drugs. This book explores those strategies and discusses the questions that need answering when designing a post-prohibition regulatory system that minimizes overall harm and respects human rights. |
Read for free (PDF)
Spanish (PDF) 2-page introduction (begins at "Consensus is growing...") 19-page summary (PDF) Webpage |
A more lengthy selection of titles can be found at the Erowid Book List and our Library. There's also plenty to read freely accessible in the Schaffer Library of Drug Policy, including full books and chapters from older titles.