books

To See the US Prisons Crisis, Look at the Books We’re Trying to ReadTo See the US Prisons Crisis, Look at the Books We’re Trying to Read

To See the US Prisons Crisis, Look at the Books We’re Trying to Read

The library at South Central Correctional Facility, a Tennessee prison privately operated by CoreCivic, consists of a single wall of…

August 1, 2024
“Sleep’s Cave”—The Speculation Around Ovid’s Opium References“Sleep’s Cave”—The Speculation Around Ovid’s Opium References

“Sleep’s Cave”—The Speculation Around Ovid’s Opium References

Publius Ovidius Naso, known today as Ovid, was a Roman poet of great acclaim and some infamy. His works remain…

September 29, 2023
A Daughter’s Life and Death, Seen Through a Harm Reduction LensA Daughter’s Life and Death, Seen Through a Harm Reduction Lens

A Daughter’s Life and Death, Seen Through a Harm Reduction Lens

The book Addicted and Convicted: Letters from a Lost Daughter, published in August, tells the story of how Elizabeth Elliot…

September 6, 2023
Belladonna and Bad Actors: The Telling History of Addiction TreatmentBelladonna and Bad Actors: The Telling History of Addiction Treatment

Belladonna and Bad Actors: The Telling History of Addiction Treatment

The roots of today’s stigmatization of people who use drugs—and of paternalistic, exploitative, often cruel approaches to what we now…

April 25, 2023
Pliny the Elder’s Ancient But Refreshing Take on OpiumPliny the Elder’s Ancient But Refreshing Take on Opium

Pliny the Elder’s Ancient But Refreshing Take on Opium

Pliny the Elder, a Roman statesman and writer, lived during the 1st Century CE. He died, famously, during the eruption…

March 31, 2023
Inebriate Asylums to Narcotic Farms: Addiction Treatment’s Cruel RootsInebriate Asylums to Narcotic Farms: Addiction Treatment’s Cruel Roots

Inebriate Asylums to Narcotic Farms: Addiction Treatment’s Cruel Roots

Kenneth Anderson founded HAMS (Harm Reduction, Abstinence and Moderation Support) in 2007 as a free online support group for people…

July 7, 2022
Why I Think We Need to Move Beyond “Harm Reduction”Why I Think We Need to Move Beyond “Harm Reduction”

Why I Think We Need to Move Beyond “Harm Reduction”

I walked around the park grounds checking out the jubilant crowd of young partygoers. A gospel-sounding, organ-dominated groove played in…

February 10, 2021