America is facing the worst drug crisis in its history, and the numbers are staggering. Nearly 100,000 people died of drug overdoses last year alone—a death toll that has now surpassed one million since the year 2000. Fentanyl leads the charge, but it’s not the only culprit. According to author and drug policy expert Dr. Kevin Sabet, our approach to drugs is also killing us.
In One Nation Under the Influence, Sabet lays out a roadmap for reversing the crisis—and calls on the nation to summon the political will to act.
Policy Failure Is Fueling the Crisis
America’s drug overdose epidemic didn’t appear out of nowhere. Sabet argues that a permissive and fragmented policy environment allowed it to thrive. While fentanyl and synthetic opioids dominate headlines, methamphetamine, high-potency marijuana, and other substances are quietly wreaking havoc as well.
But the bigger issue, Sabet insists, is that “our policy is.” Lax enforcement, aggressive commercialisation, and the normalization of drug use have all contributed to a deadly national trajectory.
A Voice from the Front Lines
Kevin Sabet isn’t speaking from the sidelines. He’s been immersed in the drug policy debate for decades, advising three U.S. presidents and founding the advocacy group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). Salon magazine has dubbed him “the quarterback of the new anti-drug movement.”
In this book, he tackles the tough questions head-on:
– Why have U.S. policies failed so dramatically?
– How has legalisation shaped public attitudes and health outcomes?
– What alternatives actually work?
His journey spans the streets of San Francisco and New York, through the southern border and up into Canada and Europe, all in search of policies that protect people—not profits.
Solutions Exist If We Choose Them
Sabet’s message is clear: We don’t lack solutions. We lack resolve. Prevention, early intervention, and treatment models that centre on recovery and accountability already exist—and are working in pockets across the world.
What’s needed is a paradigm shift: one that acknowledges drug use as both a public health and societal challenge, rather than simply a matter of personal choice or freedom.
No One Is Immune
Sabet underscores that this is not a fringe issue. From inner cities to rural towns, no community is untouched by addiction. He pushes back against narratives that glorify drug use or treat it as harmless, warning that normalisation has deadly consequences, especially for youth and vulnerable populations.
A Call to National Conscience
One Nation Under the Influence isn’t just a policy critique. It’s a call to conscience, as Sabet combines research, real-world examples, and on-the-ground insights to challenge readers to expect more from their leaders and communities.
“The solutions are out there,” he writes. “If only we have the will to apply them.”
