An unflinching analysis of one of the major issues of our time - the shift from criminalization to regulation of recreational drugs.
"Permit but discourage" has become the central theme in regulating recreational drug use. Alcohol, tobacco, and non-nutritious food can all be sold, just as various forms of gambling are allowed, but harmful levels of use are discouraged by taxes and other regulations. Lessons have been learned the hard way from how society has regulated other forms of addiction and consumption - it's time to apply those lessons to drugs.
The impact of drug criminalization on society has been the same across borders: the cost of controlling the production, sale, and use of recreational drugs by means of criminal law is just too high. Once drugs have been decriminalized or legalized, however, a regulatory scheme must be implemented to drive up prices, dampen consumption, and provide revenue for treatment, counselling, and other costs.
Off the Street: Legalizing Drugs calls for a thoughtful, national discussion of these issues. Whatever the issues raised by legalization, whatever the questions surrounding regulation, the many costs of continued criminalization are just too high.
Industry Reviews
Bogart's book is a comprehensive road map to ending the war on drugs, presented with a welcome degree of intelligence and eloquence in a public debate more commonly dominated by emotion and polarized viewpoints.
* Steve Rolles, Senior Policy Analyst, Transform *
Pulling no punches, this is an unvarnished look at illegal drug use and what we should be doing about it. Its recommendations are hard-hitting and thought-provoking. They deserve a close look. Governments, take note.
* Paula Mallea, author of The War on Drugs: A Failed Experiment *
Bill Bogart ... makes his case in a manner that is clear and compelling.... If we're to make informed decisions after the failed war on drugs, this eye-opening appeal for a change in public policy is for every concerned citizen's bedside table.
* Fiona Reid, B.A., C.M., D.C.L., Actress *
The book should be a must-read for legislators, law enforcement personnel, and law students in both Canada and the U.S. Indeed, it is so straight forward and well written that it will also be educational for interested laypersons.
* Neil Vidmar, Russell M. Robinson II Professor of Law, Duke Law School *
Off the Street ... moves beyond political platitudes and succeeds in addressing the tough issues that are involved ... [with] legalizing drugs and the challenges that lie ahead as we head down this path. * Adam Dodek, author of The Canadian Constitution *
