Blowing smoke : rethinking the war on drugs without prohibition and rehab / Michael J. Reznicek.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-212) and index.

Introduction -- Murder, thievery, and drunkenness -- Demon rum -- Disease crusaders -- Racism, progressivism, and drug laws -- The power of paradigms -- The brain on drugs -- Deconstructing rehab -- rethinking the effectiveness of rehab -- The habit model -- The case for drug legalization -- Controlling teen drug use -- Controlling adult drug use -- Challenges and opportunities -- Conclusion -- Appendix A : signs of drug use in children -- Appendix B : medications used to treat addictions -- Appendix C : diagnosing addictions.

"Alcohol, opiates, cocaine and marijuana, among other drugs, have been used and abused for millennia. Before the disease-model approach to drug addiction, which posits that addiction is a psychological and biological problem and that sufferers are victims, societies had a workable solution: let people consume what they want, and let informal cultural controls reinforce responsible behavior. Legal sanctions were reserved for any use that affected the safety of others. Blowing Smoke proposes an approach to the war on drugs that returns us to the pre-disease-model era. Dr. Reznicek debunks the disease model, arguing that it has exacerbated the problem, and provides a new framework, more consistent with current neuroscientific knowledge: the habit model. Habits are practiced as long as they provide comfort, and are abandoned when they cause pain. Dr. Reznicek recommends the legalization of drugs for adults and the implementation of social practices to dissuade abusers, and shows how such an approach can work for us today"--Provided by publisher.