Choice Review

This is a concise overview of the drug wars in the US over the past few decades. The opening covers the history of drug prohibition in the US, followed by sections on abuse and control viewed through the comparative lenses of crime, public health, civil liberties, race relations, tax policy, and interdiction efforts. Another section critiques the Office of National Drug Control Policy by documenting its debates with the scientific community over the best ways to deter use and abuse. Other chapters discuss the legalization of marijuana and harm reduction. Benavie (emer., economics, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) packs his book with evidence that advocates of reform have been promoting for decades, such as the premise that prohibition actually promotes crime. Some material nevertheless seems anachronistic. For example, the author portrays William Bennett as if he is still in office. There also is little discussion of drug courts or arrest diversion programs as examples of recent control innovations. On the other hand, Benavie provides a fascinating discussion of the fate of international reform efforts such as the heroin maintenance movement in Britain, which the US government and other "drug warriors" worked hard to discredit. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. B. J. Goetz Western Michigan University