Drugs without the hot air: Making Sense of Legal and Illegal Drugs

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Well, it isn’t, but it contains a wide range of ideas familiar to the economist and uses them to identify the problems of current policy. Anyone taking (or considering taking) any kind of drug (that included alcohol and tobacco) should read this book to get an idea of the relative risks of different drugs.

We will then give everybody a few weeks to read the book and then we will meet up and have a chat about the book. In that one hour's discussion, I'd found that my attitude towards drug laws had changed significantly from supporting the current emphasis of strong prosecution and imprisonment, to the recognition that if drug abuse was thought of as purely a health issue, the world could be a much better place. Anybody involved in drugs policy should read this book to get some proper evidence on which to base their opinions. This second edition of, expert drug scientist, David Nutt's brilliant book examines the facts about both legal and illegal drugs. Both for treatment (as is already being done in some cases), and also for recreational use and identifying possible genetic risks.But it is the addicts that commit the most crime; addiction treatment has been shown to have a causal effect in reducing crime, and it is the addicts that are most at risk of adverse health consequences. The book is highly recommended for everyone, particularly parents who are worried how their children may be affected by drugs. Having been kicked out of an advisory committee to the UK government for having publicly contradicted the government line, he has been personally bruised by a subject that refuses to go away.

So he supports the ban on smoking in public places and would tighten some of the rules on alcohol sales. One thing that angers (as far as a book can convey that) David is the use of too stringent drug categories for the ones that do less harm. Last week I was on a train with two guys sitting just behind me steadily getting drunk on beer and talking loudly. Including up to date case studies and information about recent developments, he uses straightforward language to explore the science of what drugs are, how they work, why people take them and the effects drugs have.That said, given his clear expertise, and the fact that the book is grounded in scientific fact, rather than "moral outrage" and media campaigns, I can think of worse people to be influenced by!

This book is for anyone interested in learning about drugs and drug policy - it is accessible, engaging, thought-provoking and there is definitely not a hint of hot air. I think, but can’t be certain, that I’ve sat through a tall by the author at some point in that period—though it may have been someone talking about him! I include alcohol and tobacco in this; Nutt certainly makes a powerful case against both of them, which I appreciated. It covers everything from the prehistory of drug taking to the present day 'war on drugs', with particular emphasis on drug policy in the UK, pointing out some of the unintended negative side effects of this policy, and also some of its inconsistencies. Drugs Without the Hot Air by David Nutt is an eye-opening book that delights with statistics and rational information about drugs and their effects.In Drugs, Nutt compares the arguments against cannabis use, such as that it is a ‘gateway’ drug or causes mental health issues, with prison.