| This
masterly journalistic account of 25 years of American
drug laws is essential reading for any remaining `prohibitionists'.
In chronological order, it gives the high and low points
of the hysterical American approach to drug control.
The tragic chain of failure is almost unbelievable.
Australian politics has normally kept more of a lid
on the same exaggerated puritanism which gave rise
to enforced temperance. The spin-offs for Australia
in reduced medical and law enforcement costs are enormous.
Recent policy decisions, however, are being made `on
the run' and not in the light of established evidence.
There are déjà vu's all through Smoke and Mirrors.
There are responses to over-stated and misleading
pronouncements about the severity of the drug problem.
It covers increased penalties, mandatory sentencing,
asset confiscation before conviction, abolished constitutional
rights, lower burdens of proof, easier police access
to search warrants, phone taps and the like were sought,
and almost invariably permitted for drug crimes.
The author gives persuasive evidence from Vietnam
war days that crack-downs on cannabis caused soldiers
to turn to heroin use. Subsequent strong policing
of heroin caused some smokers to move to injecting
the drug. This is the only part of the book which
directly applies to Australia as it was US soldiers
on leave in our cities who first introduced heroin
into our country on a large scale. Dan Baum presents
impressive proof that, far from its stated objectives,
the `Just Say No' campaign of the late 1980s was actually
partly responsible for the expansion of crack cocaine
use in the 1990s.
The epilogue, however optimistic, reminds us that
law reformers are apt to shoot themselves in the foot.
The California, Arizona and Swiss referenda prove
that the general public is sick and tired of current
policies and are even prepared to countenance medical
prescription of such drugs as cannabis and heroin.
This book does a brilliant job of documenting the
unsavoury history of drug prohibition legislation
and its consequences in America. Its major lesson
for Australia is that in many areas of drug policy,
effective decisions can be confidently based on the
evidence rather than dogma. We should concentrate
on getting this evidence to the people who make policy.
Getting an appointment to see one's local member is
a great start.
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