Prohibition, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights: Regulating Traditional Drug Use - Tapa dura

The meaning of drugs is changing, with the twentieth-century language of 'drug abuse' and policy of a 'war on drugs' breaking down. Global trade and the internet are eroding the regime of prohibition, and at the same time the resilience and recovery of traditional forms of drug use are pointing towards new strategies for the integration of drug use into modern societies. These vivid portraits of long-established drug cultures and their collisions with the blunt instrument of criminal law expose the contradictions of current drug politics and illuminate the alternatives. Mike Jay, author, High Society: mind-altering drugs in history and culture This informative and much-needed volume has a comparative and international perspective, focusing on the interaction of drug policies with human rights and religious freedom. The book covers controversies from around the world involving peyote, cannabis, ayahuasca, coca leaf, khat, and other drugs. It will be useful not only researchers and scholars in many disciplines, but also policy makers. James T. Richardson, J.D., Ph.D, Foundation Professor of Sociology and Judicial Studies, University of Nevada, Reno This fascinating interdisciplinary collection offers a timely contribution to the increasingly energetic debate on drug policy reform. Its focus on how traditional uses of certain psychotropic substances have become 'controlled' through inclusion within national and United Nations legal frameworks usefully highlights growing tensions between imposed, predominantly 'Western', norms and embedded cultural practices; a dynamic often played out in terms of religious use and human rights. Through examination of a range of substances and contexts, the authors ably demonstrate how a 'one size fits all' approach to dealing with drug consumption frequently generates a range of harms and make a compelling case for 'more reasoned, humane and compassionate drug policies'. A thoughtful and provocative book, Prohibition, Religious Freedom and Human Rights: Regulating Traditional Drug Use deserves widespread attention. Prof. David R Bewley-Taylor, Director, Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University, UK and author International Drug Control: Consensus Fractured This book is essential reading for anyone working at the blind intersection of religion, drugs, and modern culture. I welcome this new publication. Richard Glen Boire, Attorney, RGB Law Group and co-creator of the term "cognitive liberty."