No jail, no rehab.

• Author: Sullum, Jacob
• Position: Briefly Noted - Blowing Smoke: Rethinking the War on Drugs Without Prohibition and Rehab - Brief article - Book review

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Many critics of the war on drugs advocate a "public health" approach to substance abuse that emphasizes "treatment" for the "disease" of addiction. In Blowing Smoke: Rethinking the War on Drugs without Prohibition and Rehab (Rowman & Littlefield), Michael Reznicek shows how such language reinforces the logic of drug prohibition by implying that people cannot help themselves.

Drawing on his experience as a psychiatrist, Reznicek dares to question the medical profession's claim to special expertise in this area. He highlights the weak scientific basis for the government-endorsed understanding of drug...