Addiction and Obsession

Welcome to Week Four of Addiction and Obsession

This week, we will be discussing Chapter Two of the eText: Historical Perspectives. By the end of the week, you should be able to describe the addiction issues that developed in different cultures around the world over the last few hundred years.

In particular, we will look at the history of addiction in the United States, and we will examine the effects of major events such as Prohibition and the Modern War on Drugs. You will also read about the history of addiction treatment and the beginnings of the harm reduction approach.

Historical Perspectives

Compare and contrast the Prohibition movement with the Modern War on Drugs—and specifically with the battle over the legalization of marijuana. What do you think about the current debate? Should marijuana be legalized—why or why not?