HIGH TIME FOR THIS ARGUMENT

Saying Yes: in Defense of Drug Use

Those friends of ours who drink beer by the gallons but tsk-tsk any mention
of drugs will change their tune after reading the latest indictment on the
US drug war Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use. Jacob Sullum argues for
illegal drugs to be shelved in the same category as alcohol, where its
users can be regarded as responsible citizens rather than demonized addicts.

Sullum, who previously blasted "health Nazis" in For Your Own Good: The
Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health, has a rep for
rattling the conservative cage. His latest romp through drug policy digs
into age-old research, anonymous interviews and those classic anti-drug ads.

Sullum structures his book cleverly: after detailing alcohol's history in
its abstinence and moderation stages, he explores individual misconceptions
that the drug war pushes on an unknowing public. Drug-induced madness,
sloth, lust, violence and limb-shaking addiction get torn to shreds under
Sullum's critical knife. Of particular interest is his charge that
marijuana as a gateway drug is illogical dot-connecting. "One could observe
similar correlations between recreational activities. People who go bungee
jumping are probably more likely to try skydiving than people who don't go
bungee jumping."

Sullum's only faults, though, are his reliance on stats and his tone. His
voice resembles a kid whining for his toys and the pace slows during
lengthy told-you-so surveys that support his arguments on drug abuse or
MDMA toxicity, for instance.

But the numbers do strengthen the theoretical threads and Sullum once again
fires pot shots at the suits who are supposedly looking out for our health.
In Saying Yes, he offers compelling evidence on how drug prohibition is
only hurting body and soul by forcing addicts to associate with sketchy
dealers and pushing casual users into pariah territory. He also has a
message that could headline any Canadian drug reform bill: drug use is not
the end of the world.