In the contemporary context of the international AIDS epidemic, the War on Drugs does society more harm than good. Historical examples of “legalizing the lesser to minimize the greater” social harm are cited as workable alternatives, including acceptance of drug users as members of society; understanding that temperance means moderation, not prohibition; diluting the strength of dangerous drugs; substituting less powerful natural drugs for more powerful extracts and synthetics; and designing safer drugs. The key to successful drug policy is a comprehensive strategy which recognizes human differences and is geared to social harm reduction rather than drug prohibition.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Associated Press1989Consumption of Liquor Hits 30-Year Low. San FranciscoChronicle, November 25.
2.
BuningE.1989Needle Exchange V: Update on the Netherlands. Newsletter of the International Working Group on AIDS and IV Drug Use4(2) (June):9.
3.
BuningE.C.HartgersC.Van SantenG.VersterA.CoutinhoR.A.1988A First Evaluation of the Needle/Syringe Exchange in Amsterdam, Holland. In The Global Impact of AIDS, FlemingA.F.CarballoM.FitzsimonsD.W.BaileyM.R.MannJ. (eds.). New York: Alan R. Liss, Inc.
4.
BurnetJ.1957Early Greek Philosophy (1892). Cleveland and New York: Meridian/World.
5.
BurroughsW.S.1956Letter from a Master Addict to Dangerous Drugs. British Journal of Addiction53:119–131.
6.
CocteauJ.1958Opium: The Diary of a Cure (1930). New York: Grove.
7.
ConnorsM.M.LewisB.F.1989Anthropological and Epidemiological Observations of Changes in Needle Use and Needle-Sharing Practices Following Twelve Months of Bleach Distribution. Presented at the V International Conference on AIDS. Montreal, Canada, June.
8.
FeldmanH.W.1987Outreach Education to Intravenous Drug Users. Presented to the Presidential Commission on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic. Washington, D.C., December 18.
9.
FeldmanH.W.BiernackiP.1988The Ethnography of Needle Sharing Among Intravenous Drug Users and Implications for Public Policies and Intervention Strategies. In Needle Sharing Among Intravenous Drug Abusers; National and International Perspectives, BattjesR.J.PickensR.W. (eds.). NIDA Research Monograph 80. Washington, D.C.: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
10.
FeldmanH.W.BiernackiP.KnappT.MargolisE.1989Modification of Needle Use in Out-of-Treatment Intravenous Drug Users. Presented at the V International Conference on AIDS (abstract Th.D.P.62), Montreal, June.
11.
MandelJ.AldrichM. in press Neutral Zones: AIDS Epidemiology in the War on Drugs. International Journal on Drug Policy.
12.
LambR.B.MittelbergerE.G.1980In Celebration of Wine and Life, the Fascinating Story of Wine and Civilization. San Francisco: Wine Appreciation Guild.
13.
NewmeyerJ.A.1989An April Fool's Day Fantasy. MidCity Numbers (San Francisco: MidCity Consortium to Combat AIDS), April 1.
14.
NewmeyerJ.A.FeldmanH.W.BiernackiP.WattersJ. K.1989Preventing AIDS Contagion Among Intravenous Drug Users. Medical Anthropology10:167–175.
15.
NolanK.1989The Ethics of Increasing Access to Sterile Needles as an Approach to Reducing Perinatal HIV Transmission. Presented at the V International Conference on AIDS (abstract W.F.P.6). Montreal, June.
16.
RushB.1972On the Influence of Physical Causes in Promoting an Increase of the Strength and Activity of the Intellectual Faculties of Man (1799). In Two Essays on the Mind, RushB. (ed.), introduced by EricT.CarlsonM.D.New York: Brunner/Mazel.
17.
SiegelR.K.1989Intoxication: Life in Pursuit of Artificial Paradise. New York: E.P. Dutton.
18.
SterlingB.1989We've Already Said Yes. San FranciscoSunday Examiner and Chronicle, This World, September 24.
19.
StrausH.1988Program Can Alter Drug Users' Habits, Slow Spread of AIDS, Researchers Say. AtlantaJournal and Constitution, August 13.
20.
TempestR.1989Amsterdam's War on Drugs. San FranciscoChronicle, October 4.
21.
Van VlietH.J.1988Syringe-Exchange; AIDS-prevention and Drug Policy in the Netherlands. Presented at the annual meeting of The Society for the Study of Special Problems. Atlanta, August 20–23.
22.
WattersJ.K.1987Preventing Human Immunodeficiency Virus Contagion Among Intravenous Drug Users: The Impact of Street-Based Education on Risk-Behavior. Presented at the III International Conference on AIDS. Washington, D.C., June 2.
23.
WattersJ.K.1989aChallenges in Modeling HIV Infection in Low Seroprevalence Populations. Presented at the V International Conference on AIDS (abstract Th.A.P.67). Montreal, June.
24.
WattersJ.K.1989bObservations on the Importance of Social Context in HIV Transmission among Intravenous Drug Users. Journal of Drug Issues19(1):9–26.
25.
WaltersJ.K.CaseP.HuangK.H.C.ChengY.T.LorvickJ.CarlsonJ.1988HIV Seroepidemiology and Behavior Change in Intravenous Drug Users: Progress Report on the Effectiveness of Street-Based Intervention. Presented at the IV International Conference on AIDS. Stockholm, Sweden, June.
26.
WeilA.1972The Natural Mind: A New Way of Looking at Drugs and the Higher Consciousness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
27.
WeilA.1980The Marriage of the Sun and Moon: A Quest for Unity in Consciousness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
28.
WeilA.RosenW.1983Chocolate to Morphine: Understanding Mind-Active Drugs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
