Abstract
The process by which new drugs are scheduled and existing drugs rescheduled is among the most critical elements in the modern system of drug control. For all of its importance, it remains a deeply flawed process, poorly understood by scholars. This essay examines a core element in this process – drug abuse liability assessment – from an historical perspective. The review argues that the role of law and corporations in the sorting process must be better understood, and concludes with an overview of three critical issues that have frustrated drug abuse liability assessment in the past.
Highlights
In the universe of scholarship on ‘drugs and the law’ the scheduling of psychoactive drugs under the various national and international regulatory schemes is the poor relation to seemingly more interesting and engaging topics
The inescapable conclusion of their collective work is that the sorting process has, from the very beginning, been more deeply influenced by the social and cultural contexts of drugs and
While it is fair to say that this process has often fallen short of the original promise, it has certainly created a system that is much larger and more complicated than a simple reference to ‘angels’ and ‘demons’ might suggest
Summary
In the universe of scholarship on ‘drugs and the law’ the scheduling of psychoactive drugs under the various national and international regulatory schemes is the poor relation to seemingly more interesting and engaging topics. The process by which new drugs are scheduled, and existing drugs rescheduled, is among the most critical elements in the modern system of drug control. For all of its importance, it remains a deeply flawed process, poorly understood by scholars. In this brief essay I review a core element in this process – drug abuse liability assessment – from the perspective of a historian. I begin by making some general observations about the role of law and corporations in the sorting process, and conclude with an overview of three critical issues that have bedevilled the process in the past. Effective drug abuse liability assessment, to say nothing of the more general effort to properly classify drugs, will remain out of reach absent a fait reckoning of these issues
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
