Chapter 5 Questions

. According to Michael Huemer, the harm of drug use to individual drug users

justifies state prohibition of drug use.

does not justify state prohibition of drug use.

justifies a massive campaign of public health awareness.

does not justify a massive campaign of public health awareness.

. On Huemer's view, it is wrong to think that

the government should prohibit things that do not degrade our dignity.

the government should prohibit things that on the basis of likely outcomes.

the government should prohibit things that cause people to harm themselves.

the government should prohibit things that fail to realize certain basic values.

. Huemer argues that there is no reason to think that the harms of drug use are in an important sense

more harmful on average than legally permitted harmful activities.

differing from the harms of other legally permitted harmful activities.

more detrimental to a person's character than others legally permitted harmful activities.

All of the above.

. According to de Marneffe, which of the following is a reason we might call someone a drug addict?

They use a drug to relieve a craving.

They use a drug even though they obviously shouldn't.

Although they believe they should use the drug when they decide to use it, at other times they believe they should not use the drug anymore.

all of the above

. Which of the following is evidence that de Marneffe cites in support of the claim that increased availability of a drug leads to increased use of that drug?

Heroin use was much higher among military personnel in Vietnam than it was among veterans who returned to the United States.

The percentage of physicians who use psychoactive drugs is much higher than the general population.

Alcohol abuse declines when the law restricts the times it can be legally sold.

all of the above

. According to de Marneffe, what is the central difference between drug legalization and mere decriminalization?

Legalization allows for the manufacture and sale of drugs; mere decriminalization doesn't.

Mere decriminalization allows for the manufacture and sale of drugs; legalization doesn't.

Legalization is a federal issue, but decriminalization is a state issue.

none of the above; de Marneffe believes legalization and decriminalization are equivalent.

. Shapiro claims that surveys have been confirmed by longitudinal studies that indicate that

excessive use of illegal drugs is the norm.

moderate and/or controlled use of illegal drugs is the norm.

an individual's illegal drug use inevitably diminishes over time.

those who begin using illegal drugs typically do not stop until they become addicted.

. Shapiro cites a study of Vietnam veterans, which showed a significant decrease in heroin use after the veterans returned home. Which factor does Shapiro cite as explaining this decrease?

the type of drug used

the duration over which the users used the drug

the pharmacological effects of heroin

the difference in social setting

. Which of the following is a central claim in Shapiro's argument?

With easy access to drugs, we can expect a significant increase in drug addiction.

Even with easy access to drugs, most drug users don't become addicts.

Legal restrictions on drug use are justified because illegal drugs are inherently addictive.

Only by restricting access to drugs can we solve the drug problem.

. Shapiro discusses Mediterranean cultures' use of alcohol to show that

even cultures with very low levels of alcohol consumption can have comparatively high levels of alcoholism.

the consumption of alcoholic beverages (e.g., wine) can have surprising health benefits.

increased use of a drug does not always lead to increased addiction.

all of the above

. Huemer suggests that drug prohibition is not unjust, even if it is not the best policy.

True

False

. According to Huemer, people have an unrestricted right to their own bodies.

True

False

. De Marneffe argues that it should be illegal to use drugs but legal to make and sell them.

True

False

. De Marneffe admits that the costs of prohibition might outweigh its benefits, and he leaves it an open question whether drug prohibition would lead to increased crime and corruption.

True

False

. De Marneffe argues that if drug legalization will lead to an increase in drug abuse, then drug decriminalization will do the same.

True

False

. Shapiro argues that cravings, increased drug tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms can explain drug addiction.

True

False

. Shapiro argues that being addicted to smoking, an activity, cannot be reduced to being addicted to cigarettes, a drug.

True

False

. Shapiro claims that drug addicts, before they start using drugs, were generally just as psychologically healthy as nonaddicts.

True

False

. Huemer argues that people have a natural _________ to use their own bodies as they wish, within certain limits.

. Huemer argues that if drug users do not use drugs _________, then there is great injustice in punishing them.

. De Marneffe claims that drug prohibition can be justified as reducing drug abuse even if it does not _________ it.

. De Marneffe defines drug _________ as drug use that either harms the user or creates a significant risk of harm for the user.

. De Marneffe states, "Taking rights seriously also involves commitment to _________, according to which we may not evaluate government policies solely by subtracting aggregated costs from aggregated benefits, but must also make one-to-one comparisons of the burdens that individuals bear under these policies."

. According to what Shapiro calls the "standard view" of addiction, certain drugs are highly addictive largely because of their _________—that is, their chemical composition and their effects on the brain.

. Shapiro claims that understanding addiction to smoking requires introducing the _________ of set and setting with pharmacology.

. In response to the objection that legalizing hard drugs would make addiction to these drugs as prevalent as cigarette addiction, Shapiro states that, at worst, legalizing hard drugs would create a new _________ problem, rather than a large increase in the number of people ruining their lives.

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