Joining the traditional rationalizations for state coercion—“God’s will,” “the consent of the governed,” and “social justice”—comes a fourth: “coercion as treatment.” Unlike theocracy, democracy , and socialism, however, pharmacracy has met little opposition.

Thomas S. Szasz (1920–2012) was professor of psychiatry emeritus at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, and an advisory board member of The Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif.
Civil Liberties and Human RightsFDA and Drug RegulationFreedomLaw and LibertyPhilosophy and Religion
Other Independent Review articles by Thomas S. Szasz
Winter 2005/06 Defining Disease: The Gold Standard of Disease versus the Fiat Standard of Diagnosis
Spring 1997 The Case Against Psychiatric Coercion