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PUBLISHERS

Loompanics Unlimited

Loompanics started as a mail-order house and they still sell a large percentage of their books directly to customers in this way. This is a good thing because it allows them to be more independent in what they put out than most publishers. They have a really cool catalog which goes way beyond drug books (though they have a good selection of those).

Loompanics Unlimited

PO Box 1197

Port Townsend, WA 98368

800-380-2230 (Credit Card Orders Only)

Ronin Publishing

Ronin is an interesting company. It was co-founded by Sebastian Orfali, the guy behind the legendary And/Or Press. As a result, Ronin has published a lot of drug books, including reprinting many of the And/Or titles. But Ronin also publishes very mainstream books on things like business, and their books are sold in regular bookstores, including the chains. There is an overall consistency to the books they publish, however; they are all about finding your own path through life. In fact, their slogan is "Books for Independent Minds". As a result, readers of this site will likely find all of Ronin's catalog interesting. Even their business books have an interesting slant. For those people looking for books on marijuana or LSD, Ronin is the place to go. They have titles covering just about every imaginable aspect of these drugs. Readers of this site will probably be most interested in Ronin's books on heroin, opium, and drug law.

Ronin Publishing, Inc.

PO Box 522

Berkeley, CA 94701

800-858-2665 (phone)

Why You Should Care About These Businesses

In addition to providing useful information, both of these publishers have worked to protect our constitutional rights to read what we choose to. It is not easy being a small press, and it is harder still publishing books that aren't simply propaganda in this age of Drug War hysteria. Both companies have come face to face with government oppression. They deserve all our support.

POLITICAL GROUPS

Alchemind Society

The Alchemind Society is basically an educational group. What makes them different is that they focus on a concept they call "cognitive liberty". This is, according to their literature, "the right of each individual to think independently, to use the full spectrum of his or her mind, and to engage in multiple modes of thought and alternative states of consciousness." The AS is headed by Richard Glen Boire who holds a doctorate of Jurisprudence from the UC Berkeley. As a result, the Alchemind Society has a more formal, legalistic approach to their lobbying activities. It is always nice (though rare) to have lawyers on the side of Right.

Drug Reform Coordination Network

This group is not only fighting on the side of liberty in the War on Drugs (that is, against the government), they put out a great weekly newsletter with information about what is happening in the world of drug policy. If you are even a little interested in drug policy and the War on Drugs, you must subscribe to this newsletter. And it is free (though DRC Net can always use your contributions).

The Drug Reform Coordination Network

2000 P Street NW #210

Washington, DC 20036

202-293-8340 (phone)

202-293-8344 (fax)

Harm Reduction Coalition

This group has done all kinds of great work. They are responsible for most of the really good literature that one finds at needle exchanges and drug programs these days. Their 80+ page book Getting Off Right--A Safety Manual for Injection Drug Users is fantastic and should be studied by anyone who injects drugs. They provide this book for free to anyone who wants it. Can you beat that?

Harm Reduction Coalition

22 West 27^th Street, 9^th Floor

New York, NY 10001

212-213-6376 (phone)

212-213-6582 (fax)

United Kingdom Harm Reduction Alliance

The Labour Party, now in power in the United Kingdom, has initiated a u-turn in British drug policy. They have turned away from the humane and rational ethos of a public-health based policy, to an approach that seeks to emulate the worst failures of the US crime control model. This has included the introduction of a drug czar, greater emphasis on law enforcement and interdiction, the introduction of coerced treatment regimes, and more restrictive regulations over opioid maintenance treatment.

The UK Harm Reduction Alliance is an alliance of drugs researchers, clinicians/practitioners and drug users who are concerned with the practice and policy of harm reduction. The UKHRA was established in reaction to the present Labour government's policies, with the intention of reversing these policies through a combination of lobbying, protesting, and education.

The site is quite interactive with members writing in with new information when it is discovered. It is kind of like Fucked Company for the Harm Reduction Movement.

Why You Should Care About These Organizations

These organizations are fighting for the freedom and health of everyone--not just drug users. The focus of each group is information distribution. The purpose of a lot of this information is the education of non-users about drugs, so that they do not make their public (political) and private (whether to use or not) decisions on the myths that the government propagates as "drug education". The government's effort to solve the "drug problem" is the primary means by which it is eroding our rights as individuals. So these groups are helping to protect the rights of everyone. In a sense, these organizations have something to sell, just as the publishers above: They are selling political activism. If you agree in what they are working to achieve, you should support them. There are a lot of ways to support them, although money makes a great gift and it goes with absolutely everything!

DETOX HELP

Rational Recovery

Smart Recovery

When it comes to "recovery" from drug addiction, about the only thing that people think of is Alcoholics Anonymous and its many spin-offs. Unfortunately, not only does AA not work very well (or at all), its dogmatic philosophical basis and promotion of helplessness is a real turn-off for most people. There are a lot of groups that help people overcome their addictions through empowerment and self-reliance. We're interested in hearing about any other groups that offer addicts a choice beside life-long meeting attendance and the "I am powerless! I am powerless!" mantra. The two groups above offer a rational approach to recovery. We have nothing against spiritually based programs--these are simply the only good programs with which we have experience. Warning: The Rational Recovery home page takes a while to load, though it does contain a lot of information.

Heroin Pages

Heroin Pages is a forum for people interested in heroin one way or another. It's kind of like a bulletin board. The site has a lot of good content, and it is worth checking out.

Why You Should Care About These Organizations

There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, although it is not clear why anyone would want to skin a cat these days. These organizations all provide information that is useful and outside the usual stuff you see on daytime TV talk shows. You will certainly find information about detox on our site, but it isn't our primary focus. All of these sites are here to help you if you have a problem--mostly for free. Use them!

by Dr. H © 2002
Last Modified: 14 January 2004

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