Drugs and Society

As a long-standing, reliable resource Drugs & Society, Fifteenth Edition continues to captivate and inform students by taking a multidisciplinary approach to the impact of drug use and abuse on the lives of average individuals. The authors have integrated their expertise in the fields of drug abuse, pharmacology, and sociology with their extensive experiences in research, treatment, drug policy making, and drug policy implementation to create an edition that speaks directly to students on the medical, emotional, and social damage drug use can cause.NEW - Includes new and updated content on important topics, such as:The potential value of genetics in assessing risk, consequences, and treatment of drug use disorder or addictionThe abuse and extent of performance-enhancing drugs in athletic and sport activityStatistics of use and the impact of drugs of abuseThe value of forensic drug testingRecent findings concerning the extent of vaping and its negative long-term consequencesThe escalation of American overdose deaths due to opioids directly related to both prescription abuse and the emergence of illicit fentanyl in counterfeit medicationsThe pharmacological and behavioral characteristics of alcohol use and abuse including major costs to societyThe pattern of methamphetamine resurgence uses in the United States and its trafficking patterns from Mexico, as well as the recent connections between methamphetamine and heroin/opioid useThe use of hallucinogenic drugs such as Ecstasy (MDMA) to treat mental conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder and the use of ketamine to treat depressionProblems associated with the rapidly escalating drug costs in the U.S. and how to address these challengesTobacco regulation by the FDA and the continued increase in the popularity of e-cigarettesRecent changes in most state marijuana laws in the United States that legally redefine marijuana as medicine for neurological and mental health issues and most recent events to make it a legal drug for recreational marijuana use.Engaging boxed features throughout the text include:Holding the Line: vignettes that help readers assess governmental efforts to deal with drug-related problemsCase in Point: examples of relevant clinical and/or social issues that arise from the use of each major group of drugsHere and Now: current events that illustrate the personal and social consequences of drug abuseFamily Matters: examples of how genetics and heredity contribute to drug abuse and its issuesPrescription for Abuse: current stories that illustrate the problems of prescription abuse and its consequencesPoint/Counterpoint: exposes students to different perspectives on drug-related issues and encourages them to draw their own conclusions. Written for undergraduate courses on Drugs, Alcohol and Society within the departments of Healthcare, Physical and Health Education, Kinesiology, Public Health, and other social sciences such as Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, Criminal Justice, Social Work, History, and Economics. © 2025 | 550 pages