Drugs without the hot air: Making sense of legal and illegal drugs

The dangers of illegal drugs are well known and rarely disputed, but how harmful are alcohol and tobacco by comparison?

The issue of what a drug is and how we should live with them affects us all: parents, teachers, users anyone who has taken a painkiller or drunk a glass of wine. Written by renowned psychiatrist, Professor David Nutt,Drugs without the hot aircasts a refreshingly honest light on drugs and answers crucial questions that are rarely ever disputed. What are we missing by banning medical research into magic mushrooms, LSD and cannabis? Can they be sources of valuable treatments? How can psychedelics treat depression?

Drugs without the hot aircovers a wide range of topics, from addiction and whether addictive personalities exist to the role of cannabis in treating epilepsy, an overview on the opioid crisis, and an assessment of how harmful vaping is. This new expanded and revised second edition includes even more details on international policies, particularly in the US. David's research has won international support, reducing drug-related harm by introducing policies that are founded on scientific evidence. But there is still a lot to be done.

Accessibly written, this much-awaited second edition is an important book for everyone that brings us all up to date with the 'war of drugs'.

There's a lifetime's worth of knowledge and research to dig into here but thanks to Nutt's direct, no nonsense writing style the book also serves as a masterclass in science communication. BBC Science Focus magazine

Professor David Nutt is the most trusted drug scientist in the world. InDrugs Without the Hot Air, he demonstrates that this distinction is well earned. Carl Hart, author and professor of psychology at Columbia University

I don't think you could ask for a more sensible, clear-eyed, and useful book about drugs, from the ones your doctor prescribes to the ones your bartender serves you to the ones you can go to jail for possessing. Nutt is not just a great and principled campaigner, nor merely a talented and dedicated scientist - he's also a superb communicator. Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

Drugs with the Hot Airis the perfect book for anyone who wants to understand drugs, their risks and benefits. David avoids all the prejudices and misinformation, common in too many documents in this field. He writes simply. He is a pleasure to read. Baroness Meacher, House of Lords

Written by one of the most distinctive voices in the field,Drugs Without the Hot Airoffers the basis for a pragmatic, science-based drugs policy. From alcohol and smoking, cannabis and crack, to the contemporary opioid epidemic, Nutt punctures the myths and tells it like it is. A manifesto and a must-read. Tim Newburn, Professor of Criminology & Social Policy at LSE

Engaging, informed, contemporary and wise: David Nutt's new edition will inform anyone touched by the myriad psychoactive chemicals we call drugs. That's everyone. Peter B Jones, Professor of Psychiatr at the, University of Cambridge

The amazing Professor David Nutt has done it again. The must-read second edition has even more drugs and even less hot air! Prof Val Curran, Director UCL Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit

A clear and reasonable perspective on a complicated and controversial area from an expert unafraid of talking sense to power about addictive drugs, legal or illegal. Ed Bullmore, Professor