World War D - The Definitive Reference

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World War D:  The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization

Jeffrey Dhywood

Publisher: Columbia Communications, Inc. First ed (Oct 24, 2011)

Available from www.world-war-d.com and amazon.com

Available in paperback, kindle, epub and pdf formats

In our hyper-partisan times, it's easy to find books that appeal to the emotional side of issues, that are full of well-constructed sound bites designed to present the memes that will be picked up on by the right side of the brain, activate our fears and hopes, and “push” agendas that are mostly political and ideological in nature. It's harder to find something that gives us real data and facts (although some of us would rather not have to deal with the complexity of facts, they are critical to making intelligent decisions).

Unfortunately, it's difficult to solve real-world problems with either partisanship or opinions. We need those facts; We need a true understanding of what's going on beneath the haze of political maneuvering, or we can't get the problems of our times solved. Also, some very intractable problems may not even have legislative solutions, but without real understanding, failure is guaranteed. Our drug policies in the US have been in place for many years, yet the problem of excessive drug use and the vicious lawlessness and violence it breeds remains, always a moving target, never resolved, even after we've spent a fortune trying to solve it.

There's an old saw that's being heard more and more often these days: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. We all know that the War on Drugs has been going on for a long time, and we wonder, “Why is it that after all this time, there are lots of drug busts, lots of people get arrested, huge amounts of money are spent to prevent drug use, but the drug lords are still out there, drug use has not stopped, and barely even slowed down, and the violence associated with the black market in drugs is beginning to take a heavy toll, both in Mexico and S. America and even inside US borders. Why isn't this working?”

Jeffrey Dhywood has answers to many of these questions. They may not be answers we expect or even want to hear, but they are all very well documented, and it's in our best interest to take a close look at what he's saying, and think this one through.

This is first and foremost a reference book, and there's a lot to be learned. Chapters cover everything from the history of the drug warrior movement (it goes back a lot further than most of us ever knew), to how drugs work in the brain (with plenty of footnotes to studies, etc.), to gang slayings and their relationship to drug use, to the discussion of the possible de-criminalization of drugs and how that would play out in the real world. In 448 pages, there is more real, solid information (without, so far as I can tell, any blatant partisan sound bites or fear-mongering), with facts and figures to back it up.

Why is drug use a problem? Why have some countries decided to legalize and how did that work out? How do drugs actually work in the brain, and what makes for addiction? Is every drug addicting, and why or why not?

How many people are arrested every year? What happens to the rest of their lives when we are in a world where drug use and arrest can prevent any hope of employment at a “real job.” How many folks in jail learn how to be better criminals? How many mistakes are made when “busting” people, and what happens to those wrongly “swatted?”

There is real data here, and we ignore it at our peril – if all the money spent over the years had been used for rehabilitation or medical treatment, would we be better off? Would we have fewer people with lives handicapped by a prison record? Jeffrey Dhywood answers this with an emphatic YES, but he gives reasons why, and the reasoning appears to be quite sound.

Regardless of whether or not you wish to see de-criminalization of drugs, you owe it to yourself to read this book and truly understand all sides of the issue. Often we say we are open-minded but the drug war seems to be one area where folks take sides based on emotion, and the decisions made as a result are often solutions worse than the problem. If we want to see a reasonable (and effective) policy on drug use, this book will be a tool to help us get there; without it we are floating in a sea of opinions without a rudder.

From the author:

“World War-D” is becoming the reference book to understand the rapidly evolving global drug policy debate, bringing common sense and sanity to an issue often shrouded in misconceptions, preconceptions and taboos. My readers routinely comment that it should be required reading for politicians and lawmakers and strongly recommend it to those who want to understand all the facets of the issue and grasp its global complexity.”

Note from Gabriella: until Dec 13, there are significant deals when you purchase this book directly :

http://www.world-war-d.com/

and the website has lots of additional information about the book.  It's getting a LOT of traffic, so be patient.

From the website:

Order the paperback version and the discount will be applied automatically. In addition, you will receive a link to our special holiday page where you will be able to order extra copies of “World War-D” at the 50% holiday discount.

Order the ebook version and you will receive the link to our special holiday page where you will be able to order extra copies of “World War-D” in either ebook or paperback at the 50% holiday discount.