Dan:
 
One possibility is Alfred R. Lindesmith, The Addict and the Law, which is a clearly written, historically oriented, and archetypically liberal statement of the harms that flow from criminalizing addiction. The only problem with Lindesmith's position, as Acker and I and others have pointed out, is that, historically, the causality ran in both directions: a change in the composition of the addict population (i.e., more lower class urban male "junkies") precipitated a hardening of policy, which in turn exacerbated the health, behavior, and public image of the users.
 
David
 
David T. Courtwright
John A. Delaney Presidential Professor
Dept. of History
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL 32224-2645
Home office: (904) 745 0530
University office: (904) 620-1872
Fax: (904) 620-1018
Email: [log in to unmask]

________________________________

From: Alcohol and Drugs History Society on behalf of Dan Malleck
Sent: Thu 12/22/2005 12:42 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Policy and perceptions of addiction



I wonder what people think are the key texts (primary and secondary) on
connection between liquor or drug policy and perceptions of
addiction?  That is, whether and how policy decisions affected concepts of
addiction.

This broad literature would include labelling theory of deviance, I know,
but what about more medical perceptions?

Stuff that would be accessible to undergraduate students would especially
be helpful.

Best of the season to you all.

Dan

Dan Malleck, PhD
Assistant Professor, Community Health Sciences
Brock University
500 Glenridge Ave
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2S 3A1
905 688-5550 ext 5108