Full Description
This title includes Foreword by Paul Griffiths, Scientific Coordinator, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Portugal. "Provocative. Stimulating. Reflect[s] the diverse and eclectic nature of drug use in Europe and, in doing so, makes for a rich reading experience. This book is about drug use as a dynamic social behaviour where understanding meaning and motivations, and culture and context, are as important as understanding the actions of chemicals on the brain or body. It clearly illustrates the value of social research as a powerful tool for illuminating subjects that are too often overlooked in the discourse on the drug problem, but also reminds us why such a detailed vision is important." "If you are feeling jaded and uninspired, and have forgotten why this topic ever interested you in the first place; if you simply want to read something provocative and different that reminds you of why the use of drugs is not only an important policy issue but also a fascinating area for social research - this book is for you - and these seem to me pretty good reasons for recommending a text." - Paul Griffiths, in the Foreword.
Contents
Perceptions of drugs and drug users in Portugal. Danish cannabis policy in practice: the closing of 'Pusher Street' and the cannabis market in Copenhagen. Characteristics of the cannabis market in Belgium. Ephedra for fun, performance and losing weight. Khat and the creation of tradition in the Somali diaspora. Characteristics of life in exile: vulnerability factors for substance use. A cultural approach to understanding the stigma of drug use: the experience of prisoners in England and Wales. Diversification endangered. The methadone game: control strategies and responses. How to camouflage ethical questions in addiction research.
