A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society (P.S.)

Refreshing to have a science and evidence exploration of drug use vs. abuse (all too often we assume these are synonymous).
The personal perspective that Dr. Hart provides insights to the structural societal issues that are often more responsible for outcomes than the actual drug use or abuse.
A very timely discussion for those of us who have lived through the War On Drugs and seen only dire results. More victims from the Anti-Drug War than from the drugs themselves.

Great book. Promotes making decisions and policy based on science rather than opinion. Sadly, I don't think our "leaders" are capable of such rational thought. Should be required reading for all pursuing a career in medicine, social science, or legal fields.

This was a wonderful education on the recreational drugs. As a healthcare professional I now understand a different view of drugs. Our court systems profit from "The War on Drugs". Have recommended this wonderful book to all my friends and co-workers. The author did a superior job.

Dr Hart understands the entire addiction process psychological as well as physical. He explains things clearly and I have given the book to friends with family addiction problems. They seem to appreciate the book as well.

This man's history would indicate someone headed for prison...or worse! Instead, thanks to some special people in his life, he became a renowned neurosurgeon...a fantastic read!! Want to know what life is like in "the hood"? Read this book.
Jerry T. Searcy

A must read as both an interesting memoir and for the pertinent scientific insights Dr. Hart shares. I am also humbled by the experiences of inequality and injustices the author shares from his life and the lives of his family and friends around him. It's a very easy read and the author is an impressive and likable man who I am glad to now know more about.

An excellent combination of autobiography and scientific reseach designed for both the general public and professional community. It places the problems of addiction in the context of the real world. We should listen very carefully to what Dr. Hart tells us, especially those of us who are policy makers or who are involved in the criminal justice system. A very brave and brilliant book.

I have really only begun reading this book, but so far I am finding it very rewarding and wondering why I don't make time to read more books. There are lots of insights about social issues in the book, and it is very pleasant to read, as well as being straight to the point.

Read this if you understand complexity. Read this if you want to know why people do dangerous things, but still know how to make good judgement when it is called for ....most importantly read if you want to know why Carl Hart is one of the brightest minds of our time .

This guy is brilliant and he makes understanding complex social issues easy without oversimplification. In a world where real scientific fact is impossible to read for the layperson, and the media is largely reporting anecdotes, high price is properly tested data presented in a way the interests the average person

Finally, someone in academia who has the guts to tell the science behind the "drug problem" in the USA. If only our culture could heed this information and actually take steps to help the situation instead of merely using it as a political tool to undercut fellow citizens. Long overdue.

My nephews have been caught smoking marijuana, and it seriously concerns their parents, of course. It's nice to have an informed opinion that casual drug use is possible, as it appears to be with them, instead of rhetoric intended to scare the public.

This book will change completely the way you look at drug use in America. Mr. Hart does an excellent job of blending his personal story (which is compelling enough on it's own) with his well-researched and explained facts about how drugs do and do not affect humans and what the repercussions of criminalizing certain drugs have been and continue to be.

I thought the book was well written and by someone in our society we seldom hear from. It is two books in one, giving us a [perspective on drugs from both the doctors side and the users side as well as how precarious the path is from poverty to success. Ron Klootwyk, Weaverville CA

I not only enjoyed the book, but I also appreciated the education as well as the author's willingness to share his childhood and adolescent stories. This book it's a must read! Matter of it should be a reading requirement for all of middle and highschool students! Its a real eye opener into what it's really going on in lots of places through out America.

Carl Hart's book was interesting to read because he shared his growing up experiences and his career life. Both focused on drug addiction. I learned from his book that our penal system needs changing so that first time drug offenders can be rehabilitated rather than put in prison which leads them to more incarcerations.

Thank you, Dr. Hart for sharing your story. Your fearless candor, analytical skills and highly unusual journey brought me a whole new perspective on the costs of the drug war and the importance of correcting drug policy in America. You've done all of us a great service with this book.

Misleading sub-title and hype. 10-page harm-reduction paper preceded by 321-page success story of growing up Black in White America. No brainy revelations here - racism & drug policies suck. 2 stars only because I liked the guy. Just finished Out of It by Stuart Walton & Intoxication by Ronald K. Siegel so I guess I was still hungry for some more in-depth history and analysis.

Dr.Harts perspective on drug addictions, opened my eyes to the harsh realities and the complexities of the American drug culture. I believe we all have our own individual way(s) of accessing those neurotransmitters responsible for "getting us high."

Life changing. A must read for anybody concerned with anything ever. Seriously its a shame its taken so long for a book of this calibre to be released. Facts, Historical & Current combined with an entertaining realistic biography of the first Black American Neuro-Scientist to look at the concept of addiction and society's war on drugs that sure as eggs doesn't work.
This will reconfirm all the doubts you ever had about the uncomfortableness surrounding how our society treats the outlawed drug culture. So excited to have bought this and to have this knowledge. Cant wait to empower people and share this information. Thank you Carl Hart for getting up and out of bed and for keeping on when it mattered. You are an inspiration and an aspiration for that I thank the Lord. amen.

A rich narrative of scientific exploration & reasoning of real people and real life experiences. Offering many angles and points of view. Thorough and courageously transparent. This is a great read for a scientist, gangster, activist, historian, parent, etc, etc, etc.

Clear. Appreciate the blend of science/data/personal experience. I am about half way through and have slowed down my pace. It seems to be going into somewhat redundant childhood experiences with less science.

great book. I recommend this book to people who have used drugs/alcohol to get a true and scientific view over the "feelings" view that is given in the anonymous meetings hosted in communities. it is also a good book to help loved ones understand the truth about use and drug abuse. I especially recommend this book the professions in the field of use and abuse of drugs, law enforcement professionals, and political professionals.

Dr. Carl Hart, an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Columbia University and Research Scientist in the Division of Substance Abuse at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, authors a memoir titled High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society.

In High Price, Hart seemingly claims that America’s drug control and reduction policies have been largely shaped and supported by the ill willed missions of elite corporations, universities, professional societies, politicians, and popular media who purport and hyperbolize the causes, effects, and rates of drug use and addiction in an effort to stigmatize, criminalize, and economically suppress lower-class citizens. To support this claim, Hart details his accounts of growing up in an economically disadvantaged household and community, noting the disconnected interplay of his community’s norms and mainstream America’s societal values. Within this context, Hart explores the dichotomy of race, class, survival, adaptation, success, and happiness. Hart discusses how he was able to advance educationally and economically, despite his circumstances and against the odds of others from his community, crediting much of his progress to “alternative reinforcers” (cultural and social capital) he built and sustained along the way.

Throughout this memoir, Hart attempts to intertwine an argument that America’s understanding of addiction (e.g. etiology, behavioral and cognitive expression, rates of dependence, etc.) is generally flawed due to over-exaggerated research findings on drug-seeking behavior in animals and the massive attention of political and media campaigns intent on exploiting and demonizing drugs and the small proportion of individuals who use or misuse them. Hart notes several research studies, some of which are his own, as well as numerous amounts of personal anecdotes to emphasize these points.

I should preface by stating that I have yet to read a memoir that I like. With that said, I found Hart’s autobiography bombastic, preposterous, and oftentimes convoluted. It seemed that Hart was telling two stories: the first about the racial and class values that either impede or permit advancement, the other about politicians, media accounts, and research studies that promote deceit and imprecision. In an extremely disorganized fashion, Hart’s take on America’s addiction science misinformation was loosely placed into these perplexing narratives instead of serving as the overall infrastructure for his arguments.

If you want to actually understand from a black perspective the role that drugs play, read this. Dr. Hart takes us through his life and throughout relays what he has learned about actual drug use. I found it profoundly informative. Every politician and law enforcement official ought to be required to read it.

We have misdiagnosed our problem, and people of color are paying the price. And it is too high.

The title says it all. Hart interweaves empiricism with personal anecdotes to upend popular misconceptions about recreational drugs while providing solutions to the deleterious consequences of this ignorance.

This book is not about scientific data about drugs and its effects, its about his life and how he analisis it by his, a PhD, point of view. Very interesting the way he sees things now. How he relate waht hapenned to him and how wrong its our drug policy.

This was a thoughtful and revealing book. The author did a wonderful job of weaving his personal history and intellectual journey together with a compelling and well supported argument for reexamining drug enforcement policy in the United States.

Very good read. Dr. Hart. Wrote an engaging and thought provoking book. He gave a realistic and vivid portrayal of the deep disconnect between academia and traditional black life. Keep up the good work