Professor Who Uses Heroin Like Alcohol Says Legalisation Of All Drugs Is ‘Fundamental Right’

A Columbia University professor is arguing for the legalisation of all drugs as he believes it is a fundamental right for responsible adults to choose what they put into their bodies. 

Dr. Carl Hart made headlines recently with the release of his book Drug Use for Grown-ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, in which he discusses his use of heroin, likening it to his use of alcohol.

The author and professor of psychology writes that he is ‘better for [his] drug use’, with his argument that recreational drugs should be legalised based on decades spent researching psychoactive drugs and their effects on humans.

Hart laid out a constitutional argument during an interview with Fox News, commenting: ‘It’s the original American promise.’

He referred to the Declaration of Independence as he continued: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’

Hart further links the Declaration of Independence to his drug use on his website, explaining he wrote his book to ‘present a more realistic image of the typical drug user: a responsible professional who happens to use drugs in his pursuit of happiness’.

The professor adds: ‘Also, I wanted to remind the public that no benevolent government should forbid autonomous adults from altering their consciousness, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.’

Speaking to Fox News, Hart noted that there are other aspects of daily life that are dangerous, and yet not criminal.

He commented:

Think about car accidents. There are 40,000 Americans every year who lose their life on the highway because of cars. Nobody’s saying, ‘aren’t you concerned about that we have these cars available?’ No, what we do, is we try to enhance the safety of that activity.

In turn, legalising and regulating drugs in a way similar to how we regulate other potentially dangerous activities could make using them safer, for example by ensuring they are free from contamination.

Hart has pointed out that legalised drugs could also be a source of tax revenue, and that criminalising substances has had negative impacts on the poor and people of colour.

He said: ‘This is about our liberty. It’s about me protecting your liberty, you protecting mine.’

While some people have criticised Hart’s drug use and his push for legalisation, the advocate has encouraged people to read his book in order to fully understand his beliefs, stressing that he ‘took a long time to develop these arguments.’

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