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The long war on drugs [electronic book] / Anne L. Foster.

By: Foster, Anne L, 1965- [author].
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Durham : Duke University Press, [2023]Copyright date: ©2023Description: online resource (x, 209 pages) : illustrations.Content type: text Media type: computer Carrier type: online resourceISBN: 9781478025429 (paperback); 9781478020646 (hardback); 9781478027553 (e-Book).Subject(s): Drug control -- United States | Drug control -- United States -- History | Drug abuse -- United States | Drug abuse -- United States -- History | Drug abuse -- Law and legislation -- United States | Drug abuse -- Government policy -- United States | Drug legalization -- United States | Drug abuse -- Social aspects | Drug abuse -- PreventionDDC classification: 362.290973 Online resources: Access eBook
Contents:
The meaning of drugs -- The many uses of drugs -- The battle for prohibition, 1870-1940 -- Identifying the problem -- Deciding on prohibition -- International conferences -- Changing practice and policy in medicine and public health -- To a declaration of war on drugs, 1940-1980 -- Opportunities of World War II and Its aftermath -- US laws and international conventions -- Who Is using? -- War on drugs declared -- Blurring the lines, 1980-present -- Mandatory minimums -- Environmental effects of the war on drugs -- Marijuana's different path -- New challenges to the war on drugs -- Never-ending war on drugs?
Summary: "Since the early twentieth century, the United States has led a global prohibition effort against certain drugs in which production restriction and criminalization are emphasized over prevention and treatment as means to reduce problematic drug usage. This "war on drugs" is widely seen to have failed, and periodically de-criminalization and legalization movements arise. Debates continue over whether the problems of addiction and crime associated with illicit drug use stem from their illicit status or the nature of the drugs themselves. In The Long War on Drugs Anne L. Foster explores the origin of the punitive approach to drugs and its continued appeal, despite its obvious flaws. She provides a comprehensive overview, focusing not only on a political history of policy developments, but also on changes in medical practice and knowledge of drugs. Foster also outlines the social and cultural changes prompting different attitudes about drugs, the racial, environmental, and social justice implications of particular drug policies, and the international consequences of US drug policy"-- Provided by publisher.
List(s) this item appears in: Sustainable Development Goals Collection
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status
eBook MTU Online eBook 362.290973 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Since the early twentieth century, the United States has led a global prohibition effort against certain drugs in which production restriction and criminalization are emphasized over prevention and treatment as means to reduce problematic usage. This "war on drugs" is widely seen to have failed, and periodically decriminalization and legalization movements arise. Debates continue over whether the problems of addiction and crime associated with illicit use of drugs stem from their illegal status or the nature of the drugs themselves. In The Long War on Drugs Anne L. Foster explores the origin of the punitive approach to drugs and its continued appeal despite its obvious flaws. She provides a comprehensive overview, focusing not only on a political history of policy developments but also on changes in medical practices and understanding of drugs. Foster also outlines the social and cultural changes prompting different attitudes about drugs; the racial, environmental, and social justice implications of particular drug policies; and the international consequences of US drug policy.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The meaning of drugs -- The many uses of drugs -- The battle for prohibition, 1870-1940 -- Identifying the problem -- Deciding on prohibition -- International conferences -- Changing practice and policy in medicine and public health -- To a declaration of war on drugs, 1940-1980 -- Opportunities of World War II and Its aftermath -- US laws and international conventions -- Who Is using? -- War on drugs declared -- Blurring the lines, 1980-present -- Mandatory minimums -- Environmental effects of the war on drugs -- Marijuana's different path -- New challenges to the war on drugs -- Never-ending war on drugs?

"Since the early twentieth century, the United States has led a global prohibition effort against certain drugs in which production restriction and criminalization are emphasized over prevention and treatment as means to reduce problematic drug usage. This "war on drugs" is widely seen to have failed, and periodically de-criminalization and legalization movements arise. Debates continue over whether the problems of addiction and crime associated with illicit drug use stem from their illicit status or the nature of the drugs themselves. In The Long War on Drugs Anne L. Foster explores the origin of the punitive approach to drugs and its continued appeal, despite its obvious flaws. She provides a comprehensive overview, focusing not only on a political history of policy developments, but also on changes in medical practice and knowledge of drugs. Foster also outlines the social and cultural changes prompting different attitudes about drugs, the racial, environmental, and social justice implications of particular drug policies, and the international consequences of US drug policy"-- Provided by publisher.

Electronic reproduction.: Knowledge Unlatched. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Foster's well-referenced historical account shows how, prior to the late 19th century, drugs were a lucrative trade in the West, lightly regulated, and, in some regions, a legitimate health necessity used responsibly by those who had little access to doctors and modern medicine. This changed with the rise of international drug conferences, which proliferated in the 20th century and shaped current drug policies. While initial conferences were primarily concerned with opium, other drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and cannabis, rapidly gained attention. Foster (Indiana State Univ.) also outlines the social and cultural changes around the perception of drugs. Modern concerns around drug use and abuse were not advanced by the medical establishment but rather religiously motivated temperance movements that relied on sensational stories rather than facts and were able to shape both social views and government policy. As a global hegemon, the US has orchestrated a draconian, war-like global policy focused primarily on stemming the supply of illicit substances rather than countering demand. Overall, Foster makes an important historical contribution to the vast body of scholarly research that demonstrates that the lengthy war on drugs has failed. Rather than preventing drug abuse, prohibition has instead contributed to crime, overdoses, corruption, environmental degradation, and international terrorism. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Geraint B. Osborne, University of Alberta

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Anne L. Foster is Associate Professor of History at Indiana State University, author of Projections of Power: The United States and Europe in Colonial Southeast Asia, 1919-1941 , and coeditor of The American Colonial State in the Philippines: Global Perspectives , both also published by Duke University Press.