turn-of-the-century America

[novapsyche]

Webb et al v. United States

This is a Supreme Court decision, delivered in 1919, that expressly states that addiction is not a disease. Its effect was to uphold the Harrison Tax Act, passed in 1914.

Comments

[redivivus-fate.livejournal.com]

What do YOU think of this conclusion?

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

I think the Court may have been influenced by certain loud voices in American society at the time; certainly, this was not something that the American people pushed for at the time. I don't think the majority of Americans ever wanted addiction to be criminalized.

did i miss it?

[voiceandsalt.livejournal.com]

i didn't see the court stating that addiction is not a disease...anyway, that's a very old case with a narrow holding that i would think is quite limited to the particular facts at hand. at most, justice day was saying that the series of drug transactions in that case were not carried out in order to legitimately treat addiction. look at how summarily this decision was written...it doesn't take a close look at the nature of addiction. considering the vast advances in the treatment of addiction since then, i doubt the case would have much weight with our current supreme court bench.