Reason.tv: Ryan Grim on The Secret History of Getting High in America

Ryan Grim's new book explores the long and tangled roots of drug use and prohibition in America.

This Is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High is essential reading for anyone interested not only in understanding why drug policy always goes wrong but also how it just might be reformed.

Grim, the senior congressional correspondent for The Huffington Post and a Reason contributor, sat down with Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie. Shot by Dan Hayes and edited by Meredith Bragg.

Approximately minutes. Go here for related links and downloadable versions.

Comments

[Rich]

Approximately minutes.

Wow, seemed like hours!

[Rich]

Seriously, drugs seem to be an essentially "religious" issue, in that the enlightened folks will *never* convince the true believers on the other side.

If you don't like drugs, then don't use them.

[ChicagoTom]

Depressing hedline of the day:

UK may ban designer 'synthetic cannabis'

[Zeb]

I just finished reading the book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in drug policy, history, or getting high in America.

[Tim]

HU-210 is a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the United States. However, unlike every other drug of abuse except marijuana, it has been found to promote "neurogenesis"-regrowth of brain cells-in the embryonic and adult hippocampus, according to the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Which means that "it has been determined" to have no medical value, so it cannot be studied to see if it actually does have medical value.

[William]

Nick Gillespie should forget drugs and stand guard against a ban on Botox.

[William]

Here's some heartening news for folks trying to peddle libertarian dogma:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-mooney11-2009aug11,0,6581208.story

"The United States does not boast a very healthy relationship between its scientific community and its citizenry. The statistics on public scientific illiteracy are notorious -- and they're at their worst on contentious, politicized issues such as climate change and the teaching of evolution."

[hmm]

Who wants to start an LSD lab?

Left field, william is there. Alone. With a spatula and chewing gum. And a Chinchilla.

[NCDan]

"The United states does not boast a very healthy relationship between its scientific community and its citizenry."

Maybe that's because all too many scientists seem to be willing to "find" whatever will set them up for their next grant application.

[Rhayader]

Wait, so this dude quit working for Slate for a few years, cooked up a batch of acid, and went into business?

I mean, cool; real cool. But does Gillespie mean something else when he says he identified a market "made a lot of money off acid"?

[Balloon]

Rhayader,
I think he was joking about the acid.

Really good book. Everyone should go out an grab it. I took it out from my local library as I am cheap. So someone should buy it to make up for my cheapness.

[BruceM]

Way too hopeful. Nothing will ever change.

[johnny john john]

The tides of public opinion are changing. More and more people are OK with cannibis. Fuck, if it can happen in the Netherlands maybe it can happen in USA.

Just convince as many people as you can that drugs are goooood.

[magic]

thanks very sesli chat