Angus Bancroft

Drugs, in one form or another, have been part of the human experience since time immemorial – a true, uncontroversial fact; but when the topic is 'drugs and society' discussion usually has a habit of becoming quite controversial rather quickly, with views becoming more polarised as the seconds tick by. So it is a welcome relief when a book like this finds its way into one's hands – a book written by an author who not only knows the subject intimately (intellectually speaking of course), but who also posesses a reasonable perspective on the matter.

Bancroft tackles the issue from multiple angles: he points out the arbitrariness of the legal/illegal divide between different drugs (why is marijuana illegal while tobacco remains legal?), and consistently criticises society's many hypocrisies on the subject throughout the book. He also counters many false claims and general misinformation, such as the idea that to experiment with drugs immediately sentences the would-be user to a lifetime of addiction – I had never heard of any evidence contrary to this claim before reading this book. He explains how drugs are often used as a scapegoat for society's failings, such as blaming sexual violence on 'date rape' drugs, thereby shifting blame away from the actual culprit – the rapist.

The author is not, however, some all-in advocate of drug use; he spends a great many pages commenting on what he calls the 'pharmaceuticalization of the human condition' – the unnecessary pathologising of normal human variation. He makes the essential point that pharmaceutical drugs are commercial products, with the manufacturers having a vested interest in convincing you that you need them (the classic case of ADHD and Ritalin is of course mentioned).

Along with these complex issues, basic (yet often overlooked) details are also dealt with, such as 'what exactly is a drug?' and 'when does drug use become a drug problem?', making this book a great all-round introduction to the topic. It is well-written and structurally sound, making what could so easily have been a laborious and taxing read an easy and pleasantly rewarding experience. And for those of us who have been intellectually stirred by the subject matter, a comprehensive bibliography (eighteen pages in my edition) awaits invitingly at the back of the book.

If I didn't despise star rating systems so vehemently, I would certainly award this book top marks.… (mer)