The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs

by Edward M. Brecher and the Editors of Consumer Reports Magazine, 1972

Chapter 70. A last word

Before long, the generation now in its teens and twenties will be in its thirties and forties. Judges, prosecutors, and even narcotics agents, along with legislators and teachers, will be drawn from the pot-smoking, acid dropping generation. When that time comes, they will find themselves confronting the same basic drug issues their elders confront today. How can the damage done by alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs be minimized? How can young children be protected from drug excesses? How can adolescents be helped to exercise prudence? How can nonchemical alternatives to the drug experience be developed and popularized? How can human life be enriched?

We hope that when the next generation takes over, this Consumers Union Report will still remain useful–– as a guide to bow mankind has used and misused drugs in the past, and as a warning against repeating the errors society is making today.