Book review of "Rethinking Drug Use in Sport: why the war will never be won, research in sport, culture and society" by B. Stewart, A.C.T. Smith. Abingdon, Oxon, Routledge, 2014. ISBN: 978-0-415-65915-4

[Extract] The key message in Rethinking Drug Use in Sport: Why the War Will Never be Won, by Bob Stewart and Aaron Smith, is loud and clear: Drug free sport is an unattainable aspiration. The authors offer ‘a paradigm-shifting reappraisal of contemporary drug policy in sport’. Their central argument is that drug use in sport is an inexorable consequence of the nature, structure, and culture of sport itself. As such, the proposed way forward is to create a legitimate role for drug use in sport, thus de-mythologising and de-moralising the main tenets of current drug controls and policy and ensuring the wellbeing and civil rights of the athlete. The book approaches the topic from a multi-disciplinary perspective that takes into consideration the economic, political, and sociological aspects of drug use. It is intended as a scholarly reading and it would be a useful resource for postgraduate students in the areas of sport management, sport history, and sport policy