Discover new selections
Buy new:
$23.09
FREE delivery Friday, April 25 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$23.09
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, April 25 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Wednesday, April 23. Order within 1 hr 7 mins.
In Stock
$$23.09 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$23.09
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$9.98
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, April 25 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, April 24. Order within 1 hr 7 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$23.09 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$23.09
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Jacob Sullum
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use Paperback – May 11, 2004

by Jacob Sullum (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 50 ratings
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$23.09","priceAmount":23.09,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"23","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"09","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"dYbgp5YryibCp6El81ctADboJ29gElJCloBiQ7DhKLcPA%2BlZDfjB1ERqW8R01m6T21r2dC08IYuByKlwRlVWvC2TmfssKM0xM0EbYpUAJ7heWeK%2FaLfueHEvwE8fKQ4rpUwlYQCFl78%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.98","priceAmount":9.98,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"98","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"dYbgp5YryibCp6El81ctADboJ29gElJCFs%2FLsXWxo%2B6CGJsBqDAlfyQe73L9nYlw5RAZOMC%2FRH8ceNyUN451Xn0gyFBpsppcrVep4bAaw1kQByS0ILfv4CqX9GIN1UhuOiwViALDg29rb0cgja109gg9qGE9xwzj9ct9ZmC8ZKoyLh8b8j6Avkc9j9K1LKmI","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The nationally syndicated columnist and Reason magazine editor presents a damning portrait of how politicized government agencies, antidrug activists, and a naïve national media have exaggerated the public's fears of the harmful effects of recreational drugs.

Jacob Sullum goes beyond the 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. 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.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 11, 2004
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1585423181
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1585423187
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Frequently bought together

Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use
This item: Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use
$23.09
Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 25
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Drug Use and Abuse
$61.38
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Brookshire Books.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
One of these items ships sooner than the other.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous set of slides
  1. Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear
    Dr. Carl L. Hart
     
    Paperback
    -29%$12.05
    List: $17.00
    Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 25
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  2. Drug Use and Abuse
    Stephen Maisto
     
    Paperback
    -74%$61.38
    List: $237.95
    FREE Shipping
    Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Next set of slides

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jacob Sullum dismantles the antidrug messages." —The New Yorker

"A welcome departure from the choreographed war on drugs." —The Washington Post

About the Author

Jacob Sullum is the author of For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health. He is a senior editor at Reason and a syndicated columnist with Creator's Syndicate. Sullum's weekly column appears in newspapers across the country. His work has also appeared in Cigar Aficionado, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The New York Times.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tarcher (May 11, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1585423181
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1585423187
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 50 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
50 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book thoroughly researched and consider it a great read that is inescapably addictive. The pacing receives positive feedback, with one customer noting its well-thought-out arguments.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

12 customers mention "Information quality"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and thoroughly researched, providing considerable new information.

"...goes through every illicit drug and discusses the evidence relating to its addictive potential, actual health harm, available data of use,..." Read more

"...author's opinion is regarding his subject, this is a scholarly synopsis of the literature and studies that embody our knowledge of psychoactive..." Read more

"Thoroughly researched and well documented, this book is the intelligent, articulate, and above all logical rebuttal to the overwhelmingly accepted..." Read more

"Good content, but far too verbose and redundant. I'll take the abridged version, please" Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a great and inescapably addictive read.

"...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...." Read more

"...destroys the popular perception of all drugs as inevitably and inescapably addictive, and takes on the stereotypes of drug users, replacing the..." Read more

"...The book is a great read because although the reader has his own opinion, he shares views from both sides of the story and then elaborates with..." Read more

"Very good read, learned a lot from it." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with individual reviews noting its well-thought-out arguments, graceful writing style, and thorough documentation.

"...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." Read more

"Thoroughly researched and well documented, this book is the intelligent, articulate, and above all logical rebuttal to the overwhelmingly accepted..." Read more

"...not to like about Jacob Sullum's "Saying Yes." It's gracefully written, scientifically accurate and completely sensible...." Read more

"This book changed my life. It is so informative, well-argued and made me realize that yes, human beings do have the right to put whatever substances..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • observer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Honest book about drugs
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    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
    Helpful
     Report
  • BC
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly Review.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    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.
    18 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Nora McCulla
    5.0 out of 5 stars Puts traditional andti-drug propaganda to shame...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    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
    Helpful
     Report
  • Rich
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good read, too repetitive
    Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Good content, but far too verbose and redundant. I'll take the abridged version, please
    Helpful
     Report
  • T.L. Walker
    4.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, for many reasons...
    Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    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
    Helpful
     Report