This paper traces the question of whether there is a growing process of rationalization underlying drug policy and drug treatment, in the sense of the “McDonaldization” thesis established by Ritzer (2000). Taking Germany as an example, there is some evidence that endeavors to achieve enhanced efficiency may actually lead to a lack of rationality. Here we explore the historical background of this McDonaldization process as it relates to drug policy and treatment in Germany. Is it possible to escape from the “irrationality of rationality,” that is, the intense efforts directed at efficiency in drug treatment?
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