Going to Pot: Why the Rush to Legalize Marijuana Is Harming America

by William J. Bennett, Robert A. White

William J. Bennett, former director of the National Drug Control policy under President George H.W. Bush and bestselling author of The Book of Virtues , and co-author Robert White provide strong societal and scientific arguments against the legalization of marijuana.

Marijuana, once considered worthy of condemnation, has in recent years become a "medicine," legalized fully in four states, with others expected to follow. But the dangers are clear. According to Bennett's research, more Americans are admitted to treatment facilities for marijuana use than for any other illegal drug. Studies have shown a link between marijuana use and abnormal brain structure and development. From William Bennett comes a call-to-action for the 46 states that know better than to support full legalization, and a voice of reason for millions who have jumped on the legalization bandwagon because they haven't had access to the facts.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2015

About the author

William J. "Bill" Bennett is a politician and author who served in the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, as chief of National Endowment for the Humanities and later Secretary of Education under Reagan, and Drug Czar under Bush. He is a nationally well-known figure of political and social conservatism and authored many books on politics, ethics, and international relations.

Reviews

[Amora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instead of just listing the problems that have come with legalization, the authors offer sensible solutions as to how to battle rising marijuana use. The authors focus a lot on empirics and extensively cover studies looking at the effect of legalization in Colorado and Washington. Along the way, the expose the myths surrounding the effects of legalization in Portugal and other countries in Europe. Not as quite well written as Alex Berenson’s book, but still worth a read.

[Matthew Ciarvella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I try to read books that hold opposing viewpoints to my own. I am of the belief that if you cannot argue both sides of an issue effectively, you do not have a proper understanding of the issue.

The problem with "Going to Pot" is that it isn't going to change anyone's mind. Pro-pot readers won't be convinced. Anti-pot readers will just agree with what they already hold to be true. The anecdotal letters from people whose lives have been ruined by pot won't elicit heartfelt sympathy, but derision. Too much time is spent on the health effects of pot while too little attention is given to the actual argument for legalization. Basically, the legalization argument is summed as "yes, alcohol is bad, but that doesn't mean anything and comparing it to pot is wrong." Except that alcohol's ability to ruin lives is well-established and so if you're going to make the argument that alcohol can be legal but pot cannot, you really need to address that issue.

Basically, this book seems designed to terrify your parents. In that regard, I guess it succeeds.

[James E Gaydos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waste of money, full of lies

"Reefer madness, reefer madness, reefer madness, the author needs to read and study the recent reports on cannabis and stop referring to all the junk science of the last forty years.
Written by a conservative pro alcohol believer in junk science. Alcohol does kill, cannabis does not.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ask yourself a question: which airplane would you prefer to board, one with a pilot who smokes pot every day, or one who drinks a beer every day? I thought so.

Dr. William Bennett, former Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan and Drug czar under George H. W. Bush, has written an excellent apologia against marijuana legalization.

His book is well written and in a very calm, reasoned fashion. Most people are either ignorant of or choose to ignore the very harmful effects of that drug on individuals and society. He refutes the principal myths and arguments in favor of marijuana:

* Marijuana today is a completely different drug than what the Boomers remember from 1960s. It contains 5-10x more HTC, the active compound in cannabis

* Study after study from serious medical schools (Yale, Harvard, etc.) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, among others, are showing the very serious health consequences of marijuana, including psychosis, schizophrenia, heart attack, stroke, brain damage, severe depression, and violence.

* Legalization will definitely lead to a surge in adolescent use, just as it has in Colorado and Washington state, whose developing brains are the most vulnerable to the permanent negative effects of marijuana such as IQ reduction, mental disorders, and addiction.

* Marijuana does not always lead to hard drugs, but nearly every user of hard drugs began with marijuana, especially adolescents.

* It's true that alcohol kills more people and causes more social damage (for now). But this is not an argument to legalize marijuana. Why would anyone want to increase this damage by legalizing another drug, especially since these negative effects will explode as marijuana use increases thanks to legalization. It's like saying that we should legalize asbestos because alcohol kills more people. It's a non sequitur.

* If we should legalize drugs because it is impossible to stop them entirely, then according to that logic, we should legalize illegal copying of Hollywood movies because it's impossible to stop bootleg movies. Maybe we should legalize illegal copying of software or music while we're at it.

* Legalization does nothing to reduce the black market and drug gangs. If anything, it increases it (like in Colorado).

Bennett also points out the contradictions of the pro-marijuana movement. The same people who want to ban trans-fat, Big Gulp sodas, GMOs, cigarettes, high fructose corn syrup, excessive sugar in foods and promote organic food are the same people defending marijuana, even for teenagers. Marijuana has worse health effects than cigarettes. People would be outraged if cigarette companies targeted children with their products, yet they have no problem with adolescents smoking pot.

The most tragic point he makes is that marijuana is particularly bad for teenagers. Study after study shows that they have serious mental damage from marijuana, lower IQ, and lose any desire to improve themselves, going through life with no drive or desire to do anything other than do more drugs and play video games.

He also shows that foreign countries such as the Netherlands and Portugal have experienced regret and are even rolling back their toleration for drugs.

Another crucial point he makes is that the war on drugs was successful. Thanks to an aggressive publicity campaign and strict law enforcement, drug use plummeted in the late 80s and 90s. It began to rise again in the 2000s as the federal government began to relax this campaign and drugs became more accepted in Hollywood and popular culture.

Marijuana and contributing to the rot and self-destruction of society. Bennett makes a valiant apologia against legalization of a drug that is destroying the minds and souls of tens of millions of Americans. There is no right to destroy oneself and therefore, as a consequence, contribute to the destruction of the common good. Unfortunately, Bennett's book is unlikely to stop the tsunami of drugs. I'm afraid that it will take a collapse of society before the pendulum swings back.

[Scott Levitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I looked for a well reasoned presentation against the legalization of marijuana. This did not qualify. A living monument to logical fallacy, chock full of red herrings, begging the question, and a plethora of post hoc ergo propter hoc.

Plenty of arguments against alcohol and tobacco and cocaine. Plenty of "what about the children" pearl clutching. Many false assertions that there are no studies indicating medicinal uses of marijuana.

I wanted more than a polemic that declined to ever address uses of industrial hemp, NIH studies showing CBD as a promising treatment for PTSD in children, or anything that could be construed as positive or neutral.

Disappointing.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book by former Drug czar William Bennet. He lays out the facts about the effect of Marijuana on individuals and society as a whole, with emphasis on how it affects our young people, the future of our country. Backed up by facts and personal testimony from individuals. The weed nowadays is much more powerful with higher THC content than what it was from the 60’s-70’s 80’s. The industry is targeting the young, take a look at the marijuana edibles, they look familiar? He also counters popular arguments for the legalization of weed. It doesn’t matter , when big money and corporations (political influence ?) is involved as it is now, get ready for the worst.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smart sensible approach to the issue of Marijuana use and legalization in today's society. It calls for stricter regulation of the product, as well as common sense with it's use in medicine. The truth might just shock you, I was so surprised about how many lies about marijuana I had blindly accepted. A must read in today's ever changing world!

[Dorothy Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book to counter arguments in favor of marijuana by a relative who seems to believe pot is the panacea for all physical ills. Bennett makes some good points, and includes 17 pages of cited references. He also includes practical ideas for restricting medical use of marijuana to people who actually will be benefited medically.

[HD · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author sure cites a boatload of past research about the danger of marijuana usage within community and how the legalization could flip the community upside down. And for most of them, I do completely agree with the author remarks.

But, I do think that in writing this book the author can't objectively measure the cost-benefit of legalizing pots since the author used to serve as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under George H. W. Bush.

It's equivalent of Snoop Dogg writing a book about legalizing marijuana. There must be some personal bias written within the book.

If you believe pots should be legalized, you should read this book and let it challenge your beliefs.
Andd if you believe pots shouldn't be legalized, this book would only serves as your confirmation bias (you should read a book about legalizing pots instead).

Overall, 3 stars (the writing was a bit insipid).

[Sidney Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to Pot is a book that is highly recommended for anyone who is in recovery from Marijuana addiction in my opinion. It also helps lay people have a more nuiansed understanding of the benefits and harms of current day Marijuana as a substance. It's an awesome read by a former George H.W. Bush administration drug czar (William J Bennett). While I'm still pro Marijuana legalization I am definitely convinced that it's not something I personally would use myself, and I really believe we should closely regulate this growing Marijuana industry both in the US and around the world.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit alarmist and at times not academic in nature (yes, I've become a scholarly article snob), but overall the author (former drug czar) Bennett does a decent job of pointing out the contradictory and at times just plain misinformed nature of the legalization debate.
I absolutely support medical marijuana for people who are truly sick, anything, anything that could lesson their pain is something I'll get behind. However, the numbers of the truly sick are dwarfed by those abusing the system.
There is just no sense to the whole recreational legalization movement as far as I'm concerned. Whichever side you are on, for/against, reading this book will help you to better understand the issue and formulate your arguments.

[Donald Hartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book. But there are several places where the argument may be used for reinstating prohibition. In other words, there is a high collocation with alcohol and tobacco in the book that makes it difficult to not make equally prohibitive sanctions against legal products. Beyond this the scientific data on the dangers to lungs, brain, and mental health were pretty devastating to medical and recreational usage arguments. The recommendation for prescription marijuana is a good one. The authors call for logic in the debate. But given the effects of THC on the brain, time may be running out for their ideological foes.

[Reza Amiri Praramadhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legalisation of Marijuana is always a controversial issue, and after reading this book, I am certain on which side I am. The opponent of legalisation is always be put into corner by the arguments of marijuana legalisation proponents, but this book succeeded in proving the point that the legalisation of marijuana will cause more problem rather than prohibiting it all along. A must read, especially for people who support legalization without knowing any further than what the liberals told in the media.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this book brings up some good points about the fact that the negative effects of marijuana have not been well researched and we may realize at some point in the future, that it really is more harmful than many proponents of it currently believe. He also shows how it is dangerously marketed to teens and children and he says that it leads to harder drugs. I do think that more research into it's effects would be helpful. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

[Liz Cloos · Rating 1 out of 5]

The rhetoric used in this book is often excessive. I was hoping for a more thoroughly referenced position on marijuana policy and this book too often relied on personal anecdotes and "Google Hits" arguments.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great explanation of the marijuana situation in America today. Gives good talking points for non-legalization viewpoint as well as arguments the legalization side puts forth.