The debate over drugs continues both to enlighten and to exasperate the public, "drug warriors" and "reformers" alike. Many Americans take at face value the assumptions that drugs cause addiction, which leads to crime and that addiction is an illness. Yet abundant evidence exists to support the view that illegal drug use has more to do with choice, values and expectations than with addiction, compulsion, or disease.

Psychologist Jeffrey A. Schaler seeks to expand readers' awareness about drug control in a free society by examing the ethical issues as well as anthropological, sociological, economic, political, and philosophical questions that arise in the debate. Contributors include: Bruce Alexander, George Annas, Randy Barnett, William Bennett, Joseph Biden Jr., Robert Coambs, David Courtwright, Robert DuPont, Patricia Erickson, Herbert Fingarette, Milton Friedman, Daryl Gates, Ronald Goldfarb, Patricia Hadaway, Dwight Heath, John Helzer, Michi Hesselbrock, John Kaplan, Jerome Kassirer, Rushworth Kidder, Morton Kondrake, Charles Krauthammer, Ellen Luff, David Musto, Charles Rangel, Lee Robins, Jeffrey Schaler, Anton Schweighofer, Thomas Szasz, Timothy Weber, James Wilson, and Eric Wish.