It’s been described as the most addictive drug in the world, but does crack turn people into mindless zombies who will do anything for their next fix? Dr Carl Hart thinks not.

This week on Futureproof we speak to Dr Carl Hart about his work on addiction and his new book ‘High Price’. Carl has had an unusual trajectory to his life. He grew up in a Miami ghetto where he was surrounded by people addicted to drugs, particularly ‘crack’. He went on to become a neuroscientist and the first tenured black professor of science at Columbia University. 

Through empirical research Carl has found that those addicted to drugs are still able to make rational choices. In one particular experiment crack addicts were given choices between a between a dose of the drug or cash or vouchers. When the dose was smaller, addicts often chose cash or vouchers instead. This seems to enforce the idea that so much of what we consider drug addiction is actually a question of environment and choice. Science seems to be saying that if drug addicts had more choice they would have a much greater ability to refuse drugs.

Such conclusions have far reaching consequences for the war on drugs and society’s treatment of drug addicts.

Here are some of Dr Hart’s thoughts…. 

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