Robert Gable is a Professor of Psychology at the Center for Organizational and Behavioral Sciences at the Claremont Graduate School in Claremont, CA. He holds a Doctor of Education degree in counseling psychology from Harvard University (1964), a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Brandeis University (1964), and a law degree from Jackson State University (1972). A major portion of his professional work in the past two decades has involved behavior therapy with juvenile delinquents. He has served as a trustee of the San Fernando Valley Law School and as a reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.About seven years ago, Professor Gable's son, who had used MDMA ("ecstasy") at dance parties, asked his father how toxic MDMA was compared to alcohol. As a concerned parent, Professor Gable decided to determine the health hazards of this drug. After a three-year search of biomedical literature he published a frequently cited article in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Toward a comparative overview of dependence potential and acute toxicity of psychoactive substances used non-medically.1993, 19: 263-281. The paper rates 20 psychoactive substances—such as MDMA, alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and nicotine—on addiction potential and physical toxicity.

(1997). Opportunity costs of drug prohibition.Addiction, 92, pp1179-1182.(1994). Comparing the acute lethality and dependence potential of psychoactive substances. In L.S. Harris (Ed.), Problems of Drug Dependence. (National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph No. 141). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.