Drugs and Justice: Seeking a Consistent, Coherent, Comprehensive View - Softcover

Battin, Margaret P.; Luna, Erik; Lipman, Arthur G.; Gahlinger, Paul M.; Rollins, Douglas E.; Roberts, Jeanette C.; Booher, Troy L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195321014 ISBN 13: 9780195321012

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2007

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

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

Review

"The monograph is cohesive, well written, and unbiased; the extensive references and bibliography should be most valuable. Highly recommended."--R.S. Kowalczyk, CHOICE

"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

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0195321014
• ISBN 13: 9780195321012
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 312