The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control (Oxford Paperbacks) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Before 1800, opium was available in America in its crude form as an ingredient of multidrug prescriptions, or in such extracts as laudanum, containing alcohol,..." (more)
Key Phrases: antinarcotic bill, ooo addicts, indigent addicts, United States, Harrison Act, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Musto makes a persuasive case for thoughtful deliberation when framing a policy against the use and abuse of drugs. He is a national asset."--the late Fred W. Friendly, former Director of Seminars on Media and Society, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
"Mandatory reading....An important work of historical clarification....Musto tells a rich and significant story, enlivened by the foibles, myopia and hysteria of several generations of Americans, including this one."--The New York Times Book Review
"The best single text around on the evolution of our narcotics laws and the political and social climate that shaped them."--The Washington Post Book World
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Today's campaign to "crack down on crack" and the controversy surrounding mandatory drug-testing make the coverage of narcotics control in The American Disease timely and important. A classic study of the development of drug laws in the U.S., the book examines the relations between public outcry and the creation of prohibitive drug laws from the end of the Civil War to the present day. (Originally published in 1973, the book is now updated by the addition of a new chapter and introduction to cover developments in the past 15 years.)
According to Dr. Musto, Americans' attitudes toward drugs have followed a cyclic pattern of tolerance and restraint. Marshalling an impressive amount of evidence, he supports the theory that acceptance wanes over a 20 to 30-year period of extensive drug use and is followed by a period of intolerance, during which there is a danger of excessive restraints and false links between drug use and feared minorities. At the turn of the century, when cocaine changed suddenly from the all-American tonic to the most feared of all drugs, it was linked to fears of black Americans. Racial tensions in the American South increased, lynchings reached a peak, and law officers increased the caliber of their guns. Proponents of the closing of opiate-maintenance clinics, who succeeded with a 1919 Supreme Court decision outlawing the maintenance of "drug fiends," wildly exaggerated the number of drug users and linked them to feared immigrant groups such as the Chinese. The first federal anti-marijuana law, in 1937, was partly a response to the threat of laid-off Mexican farm workers, who cultivated the plant for personal use.
In detailing the connection between waves of public repulsion and narcotics control, Musto examines American foreign policy and the role played by physicians and the emerging pharmaceutical industry. While not prescriptive, his book offers needed insights as we enter yet another phase of drug intolerance--the second this century. Musto raises critical questions lawmakers and other citizens must consider as they devise ways of curbing drug use while avoiding the sort of Draconian overkill that has in the past set the stage for a reactionary wave of drug enthusiasm. In particular, he expresses concern over the potential for drug testing to be overzealously applied in an attempt to "eliminate" drug abuse from American society.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Exp/Rep edition (January 14, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195052110
• ISBN-13: 978-0195052114
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,949,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic for Understanding Drug Problems in the USA, July 30, 2001

By	R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control (Paperback)

This is the book on the history of drug policy in the USA. Musto details the whole history of the regulation of addictive from the beginning of the 20th century to the years of the Clinton administration. There is particular emphasis on Federal drug policy. Musto shows well how drug policy has oscillated between relative tolerance and stringent efforts to crackdown on the use of potentially addictive drugs. Musto is particularly good at demonstrating how apparently extrinsic factors influenced strongly Federal response to narcotic regulation. Fears of Federal regulation by physicians, aspects of Progressive era reformist zeal, even foreign policy considerations are shown to be important influences on Federal drug policy. While this is not a social history of drug use, Musto is careful to show how attempts at regulation were often influenced by misperceptions of the extent of drug abuse. There are some surprising aspects to Musto's story. Federal regulation of narcotics, backed by important Supreme Court decisions, was an early example of expansive Federal power superceding state and local regulation. One of Musto's most interesting observations is the considerable extent to which racist fears of Chinese immigrants, Mexican migrants, and African-Americans influenced early efforts to control narcotics tightly. Readers will find this book very informative with a strong sense of deja vu; contemporary debates about drug policy are similar in many ways to debates occurring early in the 20th century. This fact illustrates the difficuly developing sensible and effective policies towards drugs with addictive potential.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Musto is the man, December 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control (Paperback)

This book is incredible. Musto is the man. I would know. He's my professor. The book is incredibly interesting, especially if you are unfamiliar with the history of drugs, and it is absolutely packed with info. I can't say enough about how insanely intelligent this man is and that he is by far the top expert in the field.

5 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars him, January 17, 2000

By	girl # 2 (here) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Disease: Origins of Narcotic Control (Paperback)

i didn't actually read the book, but david musto is a cool dud