Sullum, Jacob (Z.) 1965–

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Sullum, Jacob (Z.) 1965–

PERSONAL: Born September 5, 1965, in Kingston, PA; son of Arnold (a furniture retailer) and Helen (a nurse; maiden name, Rosen) Sullum; married Michele Dorph (a rabbi and educator), August 1, 1993; children: Francine. Education: Cornell University, B.A. (economics and psychology), 1987. Hobbies and other interests: Poker, beer-making.

ADDRESSES: Home—4226 Braeburn Dr., Fairfax, VA 22032. Office—c/o Reason, Editorial and Production Offices, 3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 400, Los Angeles, CA 90034. Agent—Glen Hartley and Lynn Chu, Writers' Representatives, 116 West 14th St., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10011-7305. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Journalist and author. Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, reporter, 1987–88; News and Courier/Evening Post, Charleston, SC, reporter, 1988–89; Reason magazine, Los Angeles, CA, assistant editor, associate editor, then managing editor, 1989–94, senior editor, 1995–; National Review, New York, NY, articles editor, 1994–95.

MEMBER: Knight Center for Specialized Journalism (fellow).

AWARDS, HONORS: Keystone Press Award for investigative reporting, Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers' Association, 1988; Felix Morley Memorial Journalism Competition First Prize, Institute for Humane Studies, George Mason University, 1991; National Magazine Award finalist in the public interest category, American Society of Magazine Editors, for his article on pain treatment in Reason, 1998.

WRITINGS:

For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health, Free Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use, J.P. Tarcher/Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Author of a weekly column for Creators Syndicate, 1997–. Also contributor to magazines and newspapers, including the National Review, Cigar Aficionado, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research for "the war on obesity."

SIDELIGHTS: Jacob Sullum is a journalist, nationally syndicated columnist, and senior editor at Reason magazine. Sullum writes about politics and culture from a libertarian perspective. In his first book, For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health, Sullum writes about what he sees as the true nature of the anti-smoking campaign. From his libertarian standpoint, Sullum argues that draconian anti-tobacco measures set forth by the government and anti-smoking crusaders can have dangerous implications that extend far beyond tobacco and other legal and illegal drugs. A nonsmoker himself, Sullum states his belief that the important debate concerning smoking is not about public health but rather the nature of liberty and whether or not society should restrict its members' individual freedom of choice as long as the choice does not hurt others.

The first chapters of For Your Own Good focus on the history of smoking and the opposition to it that has been voiced by nonsmokers. Sullum also discusses tobacco advertising and the many ways it has been restricted. In direct opposition to many public-health and scientific organizations, Sullum outlines his belief that secondhand smoke is not nearly as dangerous as previously indicated. In another chapter, he provides a history of smoking litigation dating back to 1963. The book also includes a summarized list that Sullum calls "the 10 myths about the antismoking movement."

Writing in Insight on the News, Kenneth Smith commented that For Your Own Good "is an extensive, point-by-point refutation of the claims of the anti-tobacco movement." Public Interest contributor David Skinner generally liked the book but noted that, "Like most libertarians," Sullum "shows little readiness to estimate the exact feelings and thoughts of those different from himself." New York Times reviewer Christopher Lehmann-Haupt commented that "it is to Mr. Sullum's considerable credit that he has made us even think about the totalitarianism in this most unlikely context. By the end he has made at least a plausible attack on what he calls the 'collectivist' public health movement."

Sullum takes on the anti-drug movement in Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use. This time he discusses how the public's fears about the harm associated with recreational drug use have been exaggerated and politicized by government agencies, anti-drug activists, and naive national media. Contrary to popular belief, argues Sullum, many people use drugs recreationally and live normal and happy lives because they are temperate in their use. Sullum acknowledges that problems do occur when people overindulge and use drugs as an excuse to misbehave and function outside acccepted societal parameters. Nevertheless, he points out that little scientific evidence is available to prove that drug use makes the average person dangerous or necessarily leads to a life of addiction and degradation. Sullum noted in an interview for the Mad Pundit Web site that "it's a big mistake to look at the drug users who end up on the news, or in the paper, or the ones portrayed on TV and in the movies and say, 'Oh that's the typical drug user.' That's like looking at a drunk in the gutter and saying, 'Oh that's what all drinkers are like.'" Sullum also told Mad Pundit that he believes "that people who use drugs in a responsible and moderate way … are very reluctant to call attention to themselves for obvious reasons." Such reasons include the possibility of legal trouble, or risking the loss of employment.

Andrew Stuttaford, writing in the National Review, noted that in Saying Yes Sullum "can sometimes be disconcertingly relaxed about some of the real risks" associated with drug use. Nevertheless, the critic called the work a "well-written, persuasive, and important book." A Kirkus Reviews contributor commented that, "Only those with an agenda will find fault with this compelling and judicious argument to allow for the temperate use of drugs by adults," while Mother Jones contributor Joshua Wolf Shenk stated, "Deft, judicious, and thorough, Sullum's book is a healthy dose of sober talk in a debate dominated by yelping dopes."

Sullum told CA: "My primary interest is the appropriate role of government, particularly as it pertains to personal habits such as illegal drug use, smoking, drinking, eating, and exercise. I also write about economic regulation, gun rights, freedom of speech, and other civil liberties issues. I believe people should be free to control their own bodies, minds, and property as long as they do not violate other people's rights. My main goal as a writer is to shrink the realm of politics and expand the realm of individual choice.

"Thinkers who have helped shape my political thinking include John Locke, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, F. A. Hayek, Ayn Rand, and Milton Friedman. In the area of drug policy, Thomas Szasz and Stanton Peele have had an important influence."