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

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Actually since drugs impact all our lives in one way or the other I'd highly recommend reading this book.

It is comprehensive in that it includes information on all drugs; recreational, medicinal, legal and illegal, everything from coffee to crack. 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! He effectively tackles media scare stories deconstructing the evidence and challenging dominant narratives around drugs.From health to family to society, this informative exploration takes an evidence-based view of all the factors involved in drug use.

I'm going to give it 5* not because of how much of a good read it was but because it's probably the most accessible and well thought out book on this topic that I've come across. But, as many people are aware, policy-makers can often be swayed by emotive arguments and personal prejudices. 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. With alcohol we feel more open to talking, with tobacco less nervous, with heroin we can get the pain to go away.Policies regarding recreational drug use should aim to minimise harm but they currently focus on reducing prevalence. Nutt is not arguing for loosening the drug laws on the basis of increased personal liberty; he wants the law to be better at managing harms and risks.