Drug Use for Grown-Ups
Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear
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Drug Use for Grown-Ups
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Narrated by:
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Dr. Carl L. Hart
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By:
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Dr. Carl L. Hart
About this listen
From one of the world's foremost experts on the subject, a powerful argument that the greatest damage from drugs flows from their being illegal, and a hopeful reckoning with the possibility of their use as part of a responsible and happy life.
Dr. Carl L. Hart, Ziff professor at Columbia University and former chair of the Department of Psychology, is one of the world's preeminent experts on the effects of so-called recreational drugs on the human mind and body. Dr. Hart is open about the fact that he uses drugs himself, in a happy balance with the rest of his full and productive life as a colleague, husband, father, and friend.
In Drug Use for Grown-Ups, he draws on decades of research and his own personal experience to argue definitively that the criminalization and demonization of drug use - not drugs themselves - have been a tremendous scourge on America, not least in reinforcing this country's enduring structural racism.
Dr. Hart did not always have this view. He came of age in one of Miami's most troubled neighborhoods at a time when many ills were being laid at the door of crack cocaine. His initial work as a researcher was aimed at proving that drug use caused bad outcomes. But one problem kept cropping up: The evidence from his research did not support his hypothesis. From inside the massively well-funded research arm of the American war on drugs, he saw how the facts did not support the ideology. The truth was dismissed and distorted in order to keep fear and outrage stoked, the funds rolling in, and Black and Brown bodies behind bars.
Drug Use for Grown-Ups will be controversial, to be sure: The propaganda war, Dr. Hart argues, has been tremendously effective. Imagine if the only subject of any discussion about driving automobiles was fatal car crashes. Drug Use for Grown-Ups offers a radically different vision: When used responsibly, drugs can enrich and enhance our lives. We have a long way to go, but the vital conversation this book will generate is an extraordinarily important step.
This audiobook includes a PDF of figures and an appendix from the book.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2021 Dr. Carl L. Hart (P)2021 Penguin AudioCritic Reviews
One of Behavioral Scientist's Best Books of the Year
“[Hart's] positions may seem quite extreme to some but they also, by and large, make a lot of sense - and are backed up by ample research.... A major reason drugs have such a negative public image, Hart asserts, is racism...eye-opening.” (NPR.org)
“Hart’s argument that we need to drastically revise our current view of illegal drugs is both powerful and timely...when it comes to the legacy of this country’s war on drugs, we should all share his outrage.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“One of the most thought-provoking reads I’ve had the pleasure of exploring in a long time....” (Trevor Noah, The Daily Show)
What listeners say about Drug Use for Grown-Ups
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-04-2021
Truth
What a refreshing insight into the reality of drugs! I wish more people could read or listen to this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 24-08-2021
A great experience
So much to learn from Dr. Carl. Amazing to confirm views I have held for years and to educate those who are nervous about drugs and their influence.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 31-10-2021
z
Fascinating book that challenged some of my own ideas, and I had considered myself very open minded about drugs prior to listening. My only struggle was the narration, the rhythm of speech was really difficult to get into.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Liam Prendergast
- 15-03-2021
A perspective more people need to hear.
The war on drugs is a war on people and Dr. Hart gives a modicum of balance to the incredibly one sided conversation about drugs.
He discusses how they have been blamed for many issues that poverty and institutional racism are the true root cause of. He exposes the biases we have of certian branches of the pharmaceutical tree and the hypocrisy of looking at drugs such as opiates and amphetamines as medicines when prescribed to cope with pain and poisons when used for pleasure.
What does decriminalisation look like? His trip into the Spanish social drug scene exposes the truth about drug use; that grown ups can manage their lives effectively alongside responsible drug usage and what results is a happier more free society with decreased incarceration rates and better quality stuff.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. S. D. Farragher
- 18-03-2021
I wanted to love this book...
I'm a big fan of Carl's ideas and ideology. He highlights many of the double standards when dealing with drug 'crimes' (race). However I felt a fair amount of his arguments were based on his own personal drug use. One highly educated man's personal use is not going to sway the masses. We need large scale studies from that prove that responsible drug use can help the individual as well as society.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrea Dawson
- 18-04-2021
A first of its kind & brilliant
Dr. Hart's book is going to end up on the reading list of any related scholar worth their standing, or I'll eat my words.
This work is a spectacular amalgamation of research and experience with drugs that is un-biased and read wonderfully by the author for the audio book.
a standing ovation is in order Doctor!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Wendy Olsen
- 23-03-2021
Common sense
Finally some science based research on substances that have been around since time began.
Let’s hope that things are changing in this world we live in... they have to!
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- Anonymous User
- 16-09-2021
Everyone needs to hear this!!!
A well researched and prestented book.I am a drug user, i have never been addicted and have used all routes of delivery and ive never got hooked on anything!! i agree that more people of the middle class and partularly the upper class need to stop hiding !
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 01-04-2022
tried and tested
a must read for anyone wishing to understand drug use, culture, addiction and law.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 28-07-2023
Very informative
book was very informative. self narration could be inconsistent in tone but the message was great
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