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In recent years, the use of illegal substances has increased,
particularly 'designer' drugs which have rapidly become part of youth
culture. The need for all involved in drug control to have up-to-date
information about the subject has never been greater. This book helps
meet this need by providing a chemical background to the legal
controls on drugs of abuse. Although focussed on the UK, some of the
provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act derive from international
treaties; the discussion of technical aspects is therefore of wider
relevance. Apart from the Act itself, the book also deals with
certain aspects of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations.
There is detailed coverage of 'designer drugs' and the generic
legislation that was introduced to tackle them. The more recent
addition of 35 'Ecstasy'-like substances is covered in depth. The
significance to the legislation of terms such as salt, base,
stereoisomer, ester, ether, derivative, homologue and isotope are
described, and the text is supplemented by 23 Tables and over 80
chemical structures. There are eleven Appendices covering topics such
as precursor chemicals, related legislation, stated cases, sentencing
guidelines and the chemical characteristics of commonly-abused drugs.
Up-to-date lists of controlled drugs, with cross references to their
status in UN treaties, are provided and a number of pending and other
possible changes to the Act are included together with a guide to
nomenclature and synonyms.
Although primarily aimed at forensic scientists, this book will
be of great benefit to all bodies concerned with drug control,
including the police, customs officers, lawyers and government
departments. TOC:Introduction / Schedule 2 to the Act / Generic Controls /
Miscellaneous / Generic Controls: Substance-specific / Generic
Controls: Group-specific / Nomenclature / 'Designer' Drugs /
Miscellaneous Issues / Future Developments / Bibliography / Subject
Index / Appendices.
List of contents
Introduction; Schedule 2 to the Act; Generic Controls: Miscellaneous; Generic Controls: Substance-specific; Generic Controls: Group-specific; Nomenclature; 'Designer' Drugs; Miscellaneous Issues; Future Developments; Bibliography; Subject Index; Appendices.
Summary
Although primarily aimed at forensic scientists, this book will be of great benefit to all bodies concerned with drug control.
