Strange Trips: Science, Culture, and the Regulation of Drugs by Lucas Richert

Abstract

In Strange Trips: Science, Culture, and the Regulation of Drugs, Lucas Richert sets out to “investigate the myths, meanings and boundaries of certain recreational drugs and pharmaceuticals,” a goal motivated by the call to “move beyond examining substances in silos” and “put drugs in conversation with each other.” The book’s theme is bolstered by wide-ranging and thorough research across such diverse media as medical journals, political speeches, pop culture, and news reports, with an investigative dive showcasing Richert’s expertise as a historian of pharmacology. Strange Trips’ ambitious scope—from the use of heroin as an end-of-life painkiller to the American public’s obsession with weight loss and the diet pills—sets the stage for a broad discussion as to the role and meaning of drug use and abuse in the North American context. Ultimately, Strange Trips serves as an excellent introductory text to the socio-political dimensions of drug regulation in Canada and the United States and is a readable resource for anyone interested in the politics of drug regulation. This book review is available in Osgoode Hall Law Journal: https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/ohlj/vol57/ iss2/9