| Author | Troy Duster |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Free Press |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 274 |
| ISBN | 9780029086704 |
The Legislation of Morality is a 1970 book by sociologist Troy Duster that explored the relationship of law and morality in the context of drug policy in the United States. It is noted for its historical analysis of the effects of the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act (1914) and study of the sociology of deviance.
The American Sociological Association has called the book "a classic". Its main thesis is that drug use was criminalized because society began to see drug users as mostly non-white and poor.[1] The "groundbreaking book" argued that the moral panic about drug use was based on this public perception.[2]