Ceremonial Chemistry: The Ritual Persecution of Drugs, Addicts, and Pushers, Revised EditionResponding to the controversy surrounding drug use and drug criminalization, Thomas Szasz suggests that the "therapeutic state" has overstepped its bounds in labeling certain drugs as "dangerous" substances and incarcerating drug "addicts" in order to cure them. Szasz shows that such policies scapegoat certain drugs as well as the persons who sell, buy, or use them; and 'misleadingly pathologize the "drug problem" by defining disapproved drug use as "disease" and efforts to change the behavior as "treatment." Readers will find in Szasz's arguments a cogent and committed response to a worldwide debate. |
Contents
1 The Discovery of Drug Addiction | 3 |
2 The Scapegoat as Drug and the Drug as Scapegoat | 19 |
The Faith of the Faithless | 29 |
4 Communions Holy and Unholy | 39 |
PHARMACOMYTHOLOGY MEDICINE AS MAGIC | 59 |
Persecutions for Witchcraft and Drugcraft | 61 |
The Model American Scapegoats | 75 |
The Conversion Cure of Malcolm X | 89 |
Panaceas and Panapathogens | 137 |
The Moral Perspective Reconsidered | 153 |
Authority versus Autonomy | 175 |
AFTERWORD | 183 |
A Synoptic History of the Promotion and Prohibition of Drugs | 195 |
The War on Drugs 19742003 | 225 |
NOTES | 253 |
| 273 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abuse and drug agents alcohol American Medical Association authority behavior believe Black Muslims called ceremonial Chinese Christian cigarettes cocaine contemporary course cure dangerous drugs declares diet disease doctors drink drug abuse drug addiction drug controls drug problem drugcraft Elijah Muhammad especially fact federal fish and chips habit hence heroin holy human Ibid illegal illicit drugs Indians insane Jaffe Jews Madness Malcolm Malcolm X marijuana masturbation medicine ment mental illness metaphor methadone million modern moral morphine narcotics National obesity opium panaceas panapathogens patients persecution person peyote pharmacology pharmacracy pharmakos physicians political prescriptions priest prison prohibited psychiatric pushers Quoted religion religious reports ritual rules sacrifice scapegoat scientific self-control Sell sick smoking social society substances symbolic Syracuse temptation therapeutic things Thomas Szasz tion tobacco treat treatment United war on drugs wine witches York