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Jacob Sullum

Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use Hardcover – May 12, 2003

by Jacob Sullum (Author)

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Jacob Sullum goes beyond debate on legalization or the proper way to win the "war on drugs," to the heart of a social and individual defense of using drugs.

Saying Yes argues that the all-or-nothing thinking that has long dominated discussions of illegal drug use should give way to a wiser, subtler approach. Exemplified by the tradition of moderate drinking, such an approach rejects the idea that there is something inherently wrong with using chemicals to alter one's mood or mind. Saying Yes further contends that the conventional understanding of addiction, portraying it as a kind of chemical slavery in which the user's values and wishes do not matter, is also fundamentally misleading.

Writing in a lively and provocative style that earned him critical acclaim for his previous book, Sullum contrasts drug use as it is described by politicians and propagandists with drug use as it is experienced by the silent majority of users. The lives they lead challenge a central premise of the war on drugs: the idea that certain substances have the power to compel immoral behavior.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Tarcher
Publication date

May 12, 2003
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

5.76 x 1.18 x 8.62 inches
ISBN-10

1585422274
ISBN-13

978-1585422272
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Opponents of the "war on drugs" have long focused on the distinction between drug use and drug abuse; that distinction is at the heart of Sullum's provocative and impeccably reasoned new title. Our expensive and ineffectual drug war, Sullum says, is predicated on a fundamental misconception that drugs are inherently "bad." Politicians and the media perpetuate the stereotype of the desperate, violent druggie, while the average user looks nothing like that, Sullum says-just as the typical drinker bears little resemblance to a wino passed out in the gutter. "We see the drug users who get hauled away by police, who nod off in doorways and on park benches, who beg on the street or break into cars," Sullum writes. "We do not see the drug users who hold down a job, pay the rent or the mortgage, and support a family." He describes the billionaire insurance executive who's also a "functioning pothead," the neuroscientist who enjoys MDMA at social events and the woman who likes a bit of heroin before cleaning house. Most people understand that alcohol can be dangerous if used to excess, but alcohol in and of itself does not "compel immoral behavior." Why, Sullum asks, is that not the case for marijuana, cocaine and heroin? He labels the vilification of certain drugs over others (like alcohol, nicotine and caffeine) "voodoo pharmacology." A senior editor at the libertarian journal Reason, Sullum rejects the frequent moralizing that clouds the drug debate, and frames much of his case as part of the greater argument against so-called "consensual" crime, which asks why an act by consenting adults that doesn't hurt anyone should be illegal. As with his last title, For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health, Sullum proves he's not afraid to take on entrenched public policies that he sees as fundamentally wrongheaded. Never preachy, his volume presents its heavily annotated arguments in clear, conversational tone that's refreshing for a book of this kind.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Saying Yes is a powerful refutation of the pharmacological prejudices underlying the war on drugs. -- Nadine Strossen, president of the American Civil Liberties Union; professor of law, New York Law School

Jacob Sullum has produced a thoughtful, sane, and logical analysis of our drug laws. Is that even LEGAL? -- Dave Barry, syndicated columnist and author of Tricky Business and Big Trouble

Sullum pits the truth against the lies of the drug prohibitionists. -- Thomas Szasz, professor emeritus of psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tarcher; 1st Edition (May 12, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1585422274
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1585422272
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.035 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.76 x 1.18 x 8.62 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #912,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #12,124 in Sociology (Books)
- #30,322 in United States History (Books)
- #34,610 in Politics & Government (Books)

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Honest book about drugs

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 14, 2014

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One of the few attempts to get to the actual facts of drug use and addiction. Sullum systematically goes through every illicit drug and discusses the evidence relating to its addictive potential, actual health harm, available data of use, dependence and every other aspect.

It is fascinating to see that in terms of morality and health scares drugs follow the path of tobacco and alcohol. Tobacco used to be the entry to drinking in the eyes of overzealous preachers. Now, marijuana is the gate to heroin and LSD.

The fact is, in essence drugs are no different from alcohol. They affect the mind in similar way, are addictive to the same degree and cause similar degree of harm to health depending on the dose. This latter factor, the dose, is continuously ignored and forgotten by the moralists. Apparently, drinking a glass of wine is good for your health. I will add that smoking coule of cigarettes a day is probably also more beneficial than harmful. On the other hand, taking amphetamine at the Rave party once a month is absolutely destructive for your health. Come again, why is that?

The policy of banning drugs does not work. Prisons are getting bigger, ad drug use more prevalent. Besides, some psycho-social effects of some drugs are more beneficial that those of perfectly legal alcohol. Ever seen someone smoking a joint and getting into a fight? What about having a few Vodka shots?

Discussions about drugs should be more prevalent and truthful. So far, examples where drugs were decriminalized or destigmatized brought a lot of benefits. On the other hand, even death penalty for traffiking drugs in Asia does not stop the mules attempting it. Instead of telling the youngsters scary stories about drugs we should educate them with real facts, and make sure kids understand what they are doing when they decide to play with drugs.

One person found this helpful

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BC

A Scholarly Review.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 20, 2005

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I bought this book two weeks ago and really was not sure what exactly it would be. I hoping that Sullum would write a well-referenced work that provided a fairly objective analysis of drugs and the ensuing war against them, and that's basically what I got. Although, the reader is never in doubt as to what the author's opinion is regarding his subject, this is a scholarly synopsis of the literature and studies that embody our knowledge of psychoactive substances. Sullum always presents both sides of the issue and never retreats to the shallow role of advocate.

I personally have not tried, nor will I be trying, most of the drugs that are discussed in this book but I can say that I recognize the futility in our societal war on whatever the FDA and DEA suspect private individuals of currently enjoying at the moment. Some of the arguments he presents are quite convincing such as the legitimate medical uses of marijuana, and also the way we avoid examining the occasional darkness of human nature by making drugs the scapegoat for the acts of promiscuous sex, violence, and irresponsibility that we commit. Much of "Saying Yes" is a historical survey of drug origins and interdiction efforts, and this background information is absolutely fascinating. Some of the discussion left me unmoved as I do not buy LSD as having any legitimate uses, but I was glad to read views that contradicted my own on the subject.

Overall, a strong "yes" must be given in regards to this book. We should not be surprised as Jacob Sullum has always been an engaging and stylistic writer. I read his articles in Reason whenever I get the chance.

19 people found this helpful

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T.L. Walker

One of my favorites, for many reasons...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2007

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While I have to admit that Mr. Sullum goes a little far with some of his ideas, this book does an amazing job of explaining that "normal" people can live "normal" lives despite the fact that they use illegal drugs--everything from speed to heroine. I know plenty of people who use illegal drugs recreationally, and some who even use them daily, and yet live completely regular lives. The idea that everyone who uses illegal drugs must be a loser, degenerate, or completely lazy is a stereotype perpetuated by the government in their "war on drugs". Like I said, though, Mr. Sullum does go a little too far at some points, and this is a book that people should be a little wary of. It is a proven fact that some people have more addictive personalities than others, and I for one feel that Mr. Sullum does not recognize this, hence the fact that I gave this book four stars instead of five.

4 people found this helpful

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Mark McDonough

Very Well Done

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2003

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There is nothing not to like about Jacob Sullum's "Saying Yes." It's gracefully written, scientifically accurate and completely sensible. I guess I'm a little more pessimistic that other reviewers about the affect it will have on the drug policy debate -- as Sullum points out only too well, truth, common sense, and pragmatism have never had much to do with drug policy in the United States. If nothing else, this book will at least re-assure future generations that not everyone in our era was nuts.
Readers who have read a great deal on this subject will find much here that's familiar, but it's nice to have it all in one place and footnoted. And while I have quite a library of books on alcohol and other drugs, I did find a considerable amount of new info and thought-provoking angles. A very nice job.

40 people found this helpful

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Nora McCulla

Puts traditional andti-drug propaganda to shame...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 23, 2004

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Thoroughly researched and well documented, this book is the intelligent, articulate, and above all logical rebuttal to the overwhelmingly accepted public opinion of illegal drugs which is peddled in high school classrooms and endlessly publicly propagated through conventional wisdom, hyperbolic myths, and flimsy results of bad science. Sullum reveals the folly of allowing legal alcohol consumption while illegalizing many far less harmful substances. He destroys the popular perception of all drugs as inevitably and inescapably addictive, and takes on the stereotypes of drug users, replacing the hippie and the bum with the middle-aged business man with a family and a savings account. The insights into the values of MDMA and LSD as introspective tools are particularly articulate. Anyone who is strongly anti-drug should read this book, and anyone who has leanings in the opposite direction should own this book.

10 people found this helpful

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Scorpioswagg

Cheap in price and a very insightful book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 7, 2021

Verified Purchase

A great book for HS class

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