Thomas Szasz

About the author: Thomas Szasz is a professor of psychiatry emeritus at Syracuse University in New York (SUNY) Health and Science Center. A Libertarian, Szasz is an advocate of individual rights and an annual civil liberties award has been created in his name. He is also the author of Our Right to Drugs: The Case for a Free Market.

Before the twentieth century, American citizens held the responsibility for their drug-using behavior. Since 1914, however, that responsibility has been transferred to the state. Although some supporters of the legalization of marijuana argue that the use of marijuana can be medically beneficial, this philosophy encourages the idea that drug use is an appropriate object of government control. In a free society, the decision to use drugs belongs to the individual.

Drug prohibitionists were alarmed...