Drugs: Dilemmas and Choices; Drug Use and Prisons: An International Perspective

Drugs: Dilemmas and Choices

Working party of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians

Gaskell £9.50 pp 291

ISBN 1 901242 44 7

Drug Use and Prisons: An International Perspective

Eds David Shewan, John B Davies

Harwood Academic, £19, pp 256

ISBN 90 5823 004X

Rating: ;

Illicit psychoactive drugs agitate minds and arouse passions even among non-users. The public debate is dominated by high emotions, strong simplifications, and immutable views. It is therefore refreshing to read Drugs: Dilemmas and Choices, a lucidly written book summarising major research findings which discusses various policy options, ranging from trying to keep the status quo to different degrees of legalisation, and which keeps an open mind.

The drug problem is likely to be with us for some time

The content of the book mirrors the multifaceted nature of the drug problem. After a brief presentation of the most important drugs, there is a historical overview of the recreational use of drugs and efforts to control their use, spanning from …