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Illicit drugs and their use are now, more than ever, a dominant concern of politicians, policy makers and the general public. Often, our understandings of the 'drug problem' tend to be uni-dimensional and based around particular areas of risk: drug related crime, dependency and ill-health. This book moves beyond this single issue approach and locates illicit drug use in its wider context, with chapters on:
the history of illicit drug use
measuring the 'problem'
legal and medical responses to illicit drug use
the illicit drugs market
drugs, crime and trends in drug policy.
Drawing information from wide-ranging sources, Adrian Barton illuminates the complex nature and broad impact illicit drug use carries in its wake and provides an overview of the contemporary state of the drug 'scene'. This book will be essential reading for students and researchers working in the area of drugs and society.
List of contents
1. Introduction 2. An Historical Overview of the Social Construction of the British 'Drug Problem' 3. Measuring the 'Problem': Drug use in contemporary Britain 4. The British State's Legal and Medical Responses to Illicit Drug Use 5. Illicit Drugs: Growth and production 6. Illicit Drugs: Markets and market forces 7. Illicit Drugs: Paying for the Goods and Assessing the Costs 8. 'Forget the Myth We're Desperados Standing on Street Corners. This is a Demand Led Market' 9. 'Let's Get Real': Contemporary directions in UK drug policy 10. British Drug Policy in a European Context
About the author
Adrian Barton is a Lecturer in Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Plymouth.
Summary
Drawing information from a wide-range of sources, Adrian Barton illuminates the complex nature and broad impact illicit drug use has, and provides an overview of the contemporary state of the drug 'scene'.
