Introduction

For many governments around the world, consumption of various types of drugs (licit drug such as tobacco and alcohol and illicit drugs such as marijuana, heroin, ecstasy etc.) by their citizens is a matter of concern for a number of reasons. Even though, in most countries, taxes on tobacco and alcohol sales are being used as instruments to generate government revenue, many governments are now realizing that the cost associated with the use of tobacco and excessive use of alcohol is a far greater burden on the society as a whole than the revenue they generate. This has resulted in the introduction of a number of control policies and the formation of specific bodies to control the use and abuse of tobacco and alcohol consumption in most countries. Similarly in the case of illicit drugs, new policies have been developed to control and rehabilitate the users of illicit drugs in an attempt to minimise the impact of drug use on families and society as a whole. The cost of developing and administering these policies is added to by the fact that the government does not collect revenue from illicit drugs. Even though the use of illicit drugs is considered as harmful as licit drugs not only to individuals but also to the society as a whole, the shift in perception and attitude of the society is changing. It is now acknowledged that illicit drugs are readily available in the community and in some cases with drug addicts it is becoming a necessity to make such drugs available to those people.