Talk Title and Summary

2020 Vision: Using Drugs to Expose Racism

In this talk, Dr. Hart will discuss some of the lessons that he has learned from studying psychoactive substances in people for more than 20 years. He will briefly describe the neurobiological, socio-environmental, and political forces that influence drug use and society’s response to it. Particular attention will be paid to how specific drug policies have led to racial discrimination, group marginalization, and countless preventable deaths. Finally, Dr. Hart will offer solutions to remedy many of the problems attributed to drug use.

Carl Hart is the Ziff Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at Columbia University. He is also a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Professor Hart had been awarded multiple competitive grants to conduct his research and has served on numerous influential scientific committees. He has published more than 100 scientific and popular articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology. He is also coauthor of the best-selling textbook Drugs, Society and Human Behavior (with Charles Ksir).

His first trade book, High Price, was the 2014 winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Prof. Hart has lectured around the world and has appeared on several podcasts, national television shows and radio programs. He has also given a TED Talk. In 2016, the city of Miami issued a proclamation declaring February 1 “Dr. Carl Hart Day.” His forthcoming book, Drug Use for Grown-ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, will be released on January 12, 2021.