Richard Lawrence Miller

Richard Lawrence Miller (born 1949 ) is an American historian and author from the state of Missouri. He has written a multi-volume biography of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, and in Journal of American History, another scholar said of the work "an independent scholar, Miller does not offer bold reinterpretations, but he is an indefatigable researcher".

Miller has also written drug reference works including The Encyclopedia of Addictive Drugs, "a remarkably clear and informative work intended for a wide audience" including law enforcement users, and criticism of U.S. drug policy and treatment methods. He has advocated for the complete legalization of all drugs, stating in The Case for Legalizing Drugs (1991) that drug users lived "quite happily" in America prior to the passage of the Harrison Act in 1914. Miller appeared in the 2012 documentary The House I Live In about the U.S. war on drugs.

His criticism of the medical ethics of Straight, Incorporated was reviewed by the Alcohol and Drugs History Society.

Drug Warriors and Their Prey This book analyzes the drug war in the United States by considering physiological, social, and economic effects of drug use and constitutional dimensions and the effectiveness of drug law enforcement efforts. The book uses a case study approach to examine the effects of drug use on society. Examples are provided of how drug law enforcement efforts have gotten out of control because such efforts sometimes violate constitutional rights and generate undue fear among citizens. The author contends an "imaginary" drug crisis has been manufactured, one that sacrifices constitutional rights under the guise of drug control. Showing how the drug war fits into a socially destructive process, the author calls for an end to the drug war before it destroys society further. He describes a chain of destruction in terms of five links – identification, ostracism, confiscation, concentration, and annihilation. In this chain of destruction, drug users are portrayed as victims and scapegoats at the hands of authoritarians.

A review in The Booklist stated:

A review in Library Journal stated:

Another review published by the Drug Reform Coordination Network stated: