Issue #26 August 2023
A classic stereotype of drug users is that they use drugs as an escape from the stresses and hardships of life. Entertainers Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits have all satirized this notion. Williams is probably the most often cited with his quip…
“Reality is just a crutch for people who can’t handle drugs.”
Issue #25 July 2023
Statistics on the prevalence of drug use are just that – reflecting only use and not necessarily harm. At an individual level, most people who use drugs do not experience serious harm. However, at the population level, the prevalence of drug use is often directly correlated with the prevalence of drug problems.
Issue #24 June 2023
So, here’s the thing – people want to use drugs, and they take their drugs seriously. Some people’s quality of life, and even their lives, depend upon specific drug products from pharmaceutical companies. The recreational use of legal drugs, such as…
Issue #23 May 2023
In the previous issue of this newsletter, I talked about how drug companies don’t usually call their products “drugs” or even refer to the type of drug they produce or sell. Alcohol and tobacco companies emphasize…
Issue #22 April 2023
[This is a modified excerpt from “Buzz Kill: The Corporatization of Cannabis”.
https://blackrosebooks.com/products/buzz-kill-michael-r-devillaer ]
“I am, by calling, a dealer in words; and words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
– Rudyard Kipling
Issue # 21 March 2023
Black Rose Books has announced that my book Buzz Kill: The Corporatization of Cannabis will be part of its spring release. I appreciate that those of you who pre-ordered it have been waiting patiently. As an expression of gratitude, I am using this issue of Drug Policy Alternatives to leak a sample of the book’s content.