26 Books like Chasing the Scream

Drug Use for Grown-Ups

by Carl L. Hart • 2021

Why a neuroscientist uses heroin, and why he says we're wrong about drugs.

4.01

5k+

🗳️ Drug Policy ❤️‍🩹 Harm Reduction 🧠 Addiction Neuroscience ⚖️ Drug Decriminalization 🚔 War On Drugs

Drug Use for Grown-Ups 98%

Why a neuroscientist uses heroin, and why he says we're wrong about drugs.

by Carl L. Hart 2021

4.01

5k+ ratings

🗳️ Drug Policy ❤️‍🩹 Harm Reduction 🧠 Addiction Neuroscience ⚖️ Drug Decriminalization 🚔 War On Drugs

The Cannabis Manifesto

by Steve DeAngelo • 2015

A racist ban turned a wellness plant into a dangerous drug. The evidence for undoing it.

4.10

367

🏛️ Drug Policy Reform 🌿 Cannabis Wellness ⚖️ Racial Justice ✊ Civil Rights 🛡️ Harm Reduction

The Cannabis Manifesto 96%

A racist ban turned a wellness plant into a dangerous drug. The evidence for undoing it.

by Steve DeAngelo 2015

4.10

367 ratings

🏛️ Drug Policy Reform 🌿 Cannabis Wellness ⚖️ Racial Justice ✊ Civil Rights 🛡️ Harm Reduction

Smoke Signals

by Martin A. Lee • 2012

Cannabis was banned by politics, not science. Then the body revealed its own cannabinoid system.

4.29

537

🌿 Cannabis History ⚔️ Drug War 💊 Medical Marijuana ✌️ Counterculture History ⛓️ Drug Criminalization

Smoke Signals 95%

Cannabis was banned by politics, not science. Then the body revealed its own cannabinoid system.

by Martin A. Lee 2012

4.29

537 ratings

🌿 Cannabis History ⚔️ Drug War 💊 Medical Marijuana ✌️ Counterculture History ⛓️ Drug Criminalization

Seeing through the Smoke

by Peter Grinspoon • 2023

Your body's ancient cannabis system changes everything about the drug war and medicine.

4.03

🧑‍⚕️ Medical Cannabis ⚖️ Drug Policy Reform 🛡️ Harm Reduction 🔬 Cannabinoid Science 🌿 Plant Medicine

Seeing through the Smoke 95%

Your body's ancient cannabis system changes everything about the drug war and medicine.

by Peter Grinspoon 2023

4.03

87 ratings

🧑‍⚕️ Medical Cannabis ⚖️ Drug Policy Reform 🛡️ Harm Reduction 🔬 Cannabinoid Science 🌿 Plant Medicine

Tell Your Children

by Alex Berenson • 2019

The link between high-THC cannabis and psychosis is stronger than you've been told.

4.01

1k+

🌿 Marijuana And Health ⚖️ Legalization Debate 🧠 Addiction Science 🧒 Adolescent Brain 💊 Mental Illness And Drugs

Tell Your Children 95%

The link between high-THC cannabis and psychosis is stronger than you've been told.

by Alex Berenson 2019

4.01

1k+ ratings

🌿 Marijuana And Health ⚖️ Legalization Debate 🧠 Addiction Science 🧒 Adolescent Brain 💊 Mental Illness And Drugs

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

by Gabor Maté • 2007

Addiction begins in childhood trauma, not moral failing. Healing needs compassion, not punishment.

4.48

24k+

🧠 Addiction Psychology 💔 Trauma And Addiction 🩹 Harm Reduction 🔄 Neuroplasticity 🌱 Addiction Recovery

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts 95%

Addiction begins in childhood trauma, not moral failing. Healing needs compassion, not punishment.

by Gabor Maté 2007

4.48

24k+ ratings

🧠 Addiction Psychology 💔 Trauma And Addiction 🩹 Harm Reduction 🔄 Neuroplasticity 🌱 Addiction Recovery

Dreamland

by Sam Quinones • 2015

How a pharmaceutical lie and a heroin-delivery franchise collided in Ohio to ignite an epidemic.

4.23

32k+

💊 Opioid Crisis 🏭 Pharmaceutical Industry 🚚 Drug Trafficking 🩺 Pain Medicine History 💼 Corporate Malfeasance

Dreamland 94%

How a pharmaceutical lie and a heroin-delivery franchise collided in Ohio to ignite an epidemic.

by Sam Quinones 2015

4.23

32k+ ratings

💊 Opioid Crisis 🏭 Pharmaceutical Industry 🚚 Drug Trafficking 🩺 Pain Medicine History 💼 Corporate Malfeasance

Drug Dealer, MD

by Anna Lembke • 2016

How doctors created the opioid crisis: not cartels, not street dealers, the prescription pad.

4.00

1k+

💊 Opioid Epidemic 💰 Pharma Industry Critique 🩹 Pain Management 🤝 Doctor-Patient Relationship 📋 Medicalization Critique

Drug Dealer, MD 94%

How doctors created the opioid crisis: not cartels, not street dealers, the prescription pad.

by Anna Lembke 2016

4.00

1k+ ratings

💊 Opioid Epidemic 💰 Pharma Industry Critique 🩹 Pain Management 🤝 Doctor-Patient Relationship 📋 Medicalization Critique

Dark Alliance

by Gary Webb • 1998

The CIA's Contra army needed money. The cocaine they smuggled to get it fueled LA's crack epidemic.

4.30

2k+

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 💥 Crack Epidemic 🕶️ Covert Operations 💊 Drug War Origins 🌎 Cold War Interventions

Dark Alliance 94%

The CIA's Contra army needed money. The cocaine they smuggled to get it fueled LA's crack epidemic.

by Gary Webb 1998

4.30

2k+ ratings

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 💥 Crack Epidemic 🕶️ Covert Operations 💊 Drug War Origins 🌎 Cold War Interventions

This Is Your Mind on Plants

by Michael Pollan • 2021

Coffee, opium, and peyote: why culture, not chemistry, decides which plants are drugs.

3.87

34k+

🪴 Ethnobotany ☕ Everyday Drugs 🌵 Psychedelic Science 💊 Opioid Crisis 🧠 Altered States

This Is Your Mind on Plants 94%

Coffee, opium, and peyote: why culture, not chemistry, decides which plants are drugs.

by Michael Pollan 2021

3.87

34k+ ratings

🪴 Ethnobotany ☕ Everyday Drugs 🌵 Psychedelic Science 💊 Opioid Crisis 🧠 Altered States

The End of Policing

by Alex S. Vitale • 2017

What if the police exist not to protect you but to manage inequality?

4.18

12k+

🛑 Police Abolition 🔗 Mass Incarceration 📖 School Criminalization 💊 War On Drugs 🚔 Aggressive Policing

The End of Policing 94%

What if the police exist not to protect you but to manage inequality?

by Alex S. Vitale 2017

4.18

12k+ ratings

🛑 Police Abolition 🔗 Mass Incarceration 📖 School Criminalization 💊 War On Drugs 🚔 Aggressive Policing

Crime & Punishment

by Russell Marks • 2015

Prison punishes disadvantage, not crime. The alternatives that reduce reoffending work elsewhere.

4.08

🏛️ Criminal Justice Reform 🇦🇺 Australian Politics 🤝 Restorative Justice 🧠 Therapeutic Jurisprudence 💰 Justice Reinvestment

Crime & Punishment 94%

Prison punishes disadvantage, not crime. The alternatives that reduce reoffending work elsewhere.

by Russell Marks 2015

4.08

49 ratings

🏛️ Criminal Justice Reform 🇦🇺 Australian Politics 🤝 Restorative Justice 🧠 Therapeutic Jurisprudence 💰 Justice Reinvestment

The Emperor Wears No Clothes

by Jack Herer • 1992

Cannabis was outlawed not for public safety, but to protect timber, oil, and newspaper empires.

4.46

914

🌿 Cannabis History 🏭 Industrial Hemp 🚫 Drug Prohibition ♻️ Renewable Resources 💊 Medical Cannabis

The Emperor Wears No Clothes 94%

Cannabis was outlawed not for public safety, but to protect timber, oil, and newspaper empires.

by Jack Herer 1992

4.46

914 ratings

🌿 Cannabis History 🏭 Industrial Hemp 🚫 Drug Prohibition ♻️ Renewable Resources 💊 Medical Cannabis

Never Enough

by Judith Grisel • 2019

The brain never forgets a drug. A neuroscientist and former addict explains the permanent cost.

4.14

5k+

🧠 Neurobiology Of Addiction 🧪 Dopamine And Reward 🔬 Neuroplasticity 🧒 Adolescent Brain Development 🏥 Disease Model Of Addiction

Never Enough 94%

The brain never forgets a drug. A neuroscientist and former addict explains the permanent cost.

by Judith Grisel 2019

4.14

5k+ ratings

🧠 Neurobiology Of Addiction 🧪 Dopamine And Reward 🔬 Neuroplasticity 🧒 Adolescent Brain Development 🏥 Disease Model Of Addiction

Too High to Fail

by Doug Fine • 2012

The trillion-dollar drug war failed. One California county's cannabis economy shows why.

3.75

259

🗳️ Drug Policy Reform 💰 Cannabis Economics 💊 Medical Marijuana 🌱 Sustainable Agriculture 🏘️ Local Economies

Too High to Fail 94%

The trillion-dollar drug war failed. One California county's cannabis economy shows why.

by Doug Fine 2012

3.75

259 ratings

🗳️ Drug Policy Reform 💰 Cannabis Economics 💊 Medical Marijuana 🌱 Sustainable Agriculture 🏘️ Local Economies

Psychedelic Medicine

by Richard Louis Miller • 2017

Four illegal molecules can rewire the traumatized brain. The evidence was buried.

4.01

312

🍄 Psychedelic Therapy 🩺 Psychiatry Critique ⚖️ Drug Policy Reform 💔 Trauma Treatment 🌌 Mystical Experience

Psychedelic Medicine 94%

Four illegal molecules can rewire the traumatized brain. The evidence was buried.

by Richard Louis Miller 2017

4.01

312 ratings

🍄 Psychedelic Therapy 🩺 Psychiatry Critique ⚖️ Drug Policy Reform 💔 Trauma Treatment 🌌 Mystical Experience

Smart on Crime

by Kamala Harris • 2009

Tough on crime filled prisons without making us safe; a prosecutor's case for being smart instead.

3.75

346

🏛️ Criminal Justice Reform ⛓️ Mass Incarceration 🚪 Reentry Programs 🤝 Community Policing 🛡️ Victim Advocacy

Smart on Crime 94%

Tough on crime filled prisons without making us safe; a prosecutor's case for being smart instead.

by Kamala Harris 2009

3.75

346 ratings

🏛️ Criminal Justice Reform ⛓️ Mass Incarceration 🚪 Reentry Programs 🤝 Community Policing 🛡️ Victim Advocacy

The Fort Bragg Cartel

by Seth Harp • 2025

America's deadliest soldiers run a drug cartel. The military shields them; investigations vanish.

4.05

11k+

🪖 Military Corruption 💊 Drug Trafficking 🎯 Special Operations ⏳ Forever Wars 💉 Opioid Crisis

The Fort Bragg Cartel 94%

America's deadliest soldiers run a drug cartel. The military shields them; investigations vanish.

by Seth Harp 2025

4.05

11k+ ratings

🪖 Military Corruption 💊 Drug Trafficking 🎯 Special Operations ⏳ Forever Wars 💉 Opioid Crisis

Pharma

by Gerald Posner • 2020

From morphine-laced patent cures to OxyContin, a century of the drug industry chasing profit.

4.19

816

💊 Pharmaceutical Industry 💉 Opioid Crisis 📜 History Of Addiction 🧪 Patent Medicine 🏛️ Regulatory Capture

Pharma 94%

From morphine-laced patent cures to OxyContin, a century of the drug industry chasing profit.

by Gerald Posner 2020

4.19

816 ratings

💊 Pharmaceutical Industry 💉 Opioid Crisis 📜 History Of Addiction 🧪 Patent Medicine 🏛️ Regulatory Capture

Canary in the Coal Mine

by William Cooke • 2021

When HIV tore through an Indiana town, one doctor fought for syringes, compassion, and the truth.

3.92

728

💊 Opioid Epidemic 💉 Harm Reduction 🏥 Rural Healthcare 🩹 Addiction Recovery 🧠 Trauma Informed Care

Canary in the Coal Mine 93%

When HIV tore through an Indiana town, one doctor fought for syringes, compassion, and the truth.

by William Cooke 2021

3.92

728 ratings

💊 Opioid Epidemic 💉 Harm Reduction 🏥 Rural Healthcare 🩹 Addiction Recovery 🧠 Trauma Informed Care

Fist Stick Knife Gun

by Geoffrey Canada • 1995

Respect was won with fists on Union Avenue. Then guns came and rewrote the rules for everyone.

4.03

3k+

🏙️ Urban Violence 🧱 Street Culture 🌱 Youth Mentorship 🔫 Gun Violence 💊 Drug Trade

Fist Stick Knife Gun 93%

Respect was won with fists on Union Avenue. Then guns came and rewrote the rules for everyone.

by Geoffrey Canada 1995

4.03

3k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Violence 🧱 Street Culture 🌱 Youth Mentorship 🔫 Gun Violence 💊 Drug Trade

No More Tears

by Gardiner Harris • 2025

Cancer in the baby powder. Addiction from the pills. Both trace back to the same trusted brand.

4.17

22k+

🏢 Corporate Crime 💊 Big Pharma 🏛️ Regulatory Capture ⚖️ Corporate Impunity 💉 Opioid Epidemic

No More Tears 93%

Cancer in the baby powder. Addiction from the pills. Both trace back to the same trusted brand.

by Gardiner Harris 2025

4.17

22k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate Crime 💊 Big Pharma 🏛️ Regulatory Capture ⚖️ Corporate Impunity 💉 Opioid Epidemic

The Sober Truth

by Lance Dodes • 2014

Addiction is not a disease, AA works 5% of the time, rehab is a 90k mirage.

3.92

616

🍺 AA Criticism 🧠 Anti-Disease Model 🛋️ Psychodynamic Therapy 💰 Rehab Industry Critique 📋 Evidence-Based Treatment

The Sober Truth 93%

Addiction is not a disease, AA works 5% of the time, rehab is a 90k mirage.

by Lance Dodes 2014

3.92

616 ratings

🍺 AA Criticism 🧠 Anti-Disease Model 🛋️ Psychodynamic Therapy 💰 Rehab Industry Critique 📋 Evidence-Based Treatment

Magic Medicine

by Cody Johnson • 2018

How the world's most feared drugs became the most promising medicines for trauma and depression.

4.13

156

🍄 Psychedelic Medicine ⚖️ Drug Policy Reform 🧠 Consciousness Studies 🛋️ Psychedelic Therapy 💧 Microdosing

Magic Medicine 93%

How the world's most feared drugs became the most promising medicines for trauma and depression.

by Cody Johnson 2018

4.13

156 ratings

🍄 Psychedelic Medicine ⚖️ Drug Policy Reform 🧠 Consciousness Studies 🛋️ Psychedelic Therapy 💧 Microdosing

Insane

by Alisa Roth • 2018

Jails hold more people with mental illness than hospitals. Incarceration makes them sicker.

4.07

1k+

🏥 Mental Illness In Jails 🔒 Mass Incarceration 🏚️ Deinstitutionalization ⛓️ Solitary Confinement 👮 Police Reform

Insane 93%

Jails hold more people with mental illness than hospitals. Incarceration makes them sicker.

by Alisa Roth 2018

4.07

1k+ ratings

🏥 Mental Illness In Jails 🔒 Mass Incarceration 🏚️ Deinstitutionalization ⛓️ Solitary Confinement 👮 Police Reform

Shroom

by Andy Letcher • 2007

From ancient sacrament to clinical breakthrough: how a mind-altering fungus is reshaping psychiatry.

3.87

375

🍄 Cultural History 🔬 Psychedelic Research ⚕️ Psychedelic Therapy 🧠 Transpersonal Psychology ✨ Mystical Experiences

Shroom 93%

From ancient sacrament to clinical breakthrough: how a mind-altering fungus is reshaping psychiatry.

by Andy Letcher 2007

3.87

375 ratings

🍄 Cultural History 🔬 Psychedelic Research ⚕️ Psychedelic Therapy 🧠 Transpersonal Psychology ✨ Mystical Experiences

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