ABSTRACT

This work focuses on the many critical areas of America’s drug problem, providing a foundation for rational decision making within this complex and multidisciplinary field. Broken up into three sections, Understanding the Problem, Gangs and Drugs, and Fighting Back, topics covered include the business of drugs and the role of organized crime in the drug trade, drug legalization and decriminalization, legal and law enforcement strategies, an analysis of the socialization process of drug use and abuse, and a historical discussion of drug abuse that puts the contemporary drug problem into perspective.

part |2 pages

Part I: Understanding the Problem

chapter 1|34 pages

The Nature of the Drug Problem

chapter 2|26 pages

The History of Drug Abuse

chapter 3|60 pages

Drug Abuse and Pharmacology

chapter 4|42 pages

The Illicit Drug Trade

chapter 5|32 pages

Domestic Drug Production

chapter 6|36 pages

Drugs and Crime

part |2 pages

Part II: Gangs and Drugs

chapter 7|22 pages

Organized Crime and the Drug Trade

chapter 8|24 pages

Domestic Drug-Trafficking Organizations

part |2 pages

Part III: Fighting Back

chapter 10|30 pages

The Drug Control Initiative

chapter 11|26 pages

Critical Issues in Drug Control

chapter 12|24 pages

The Issue of Legalizing Drugs

chapter 13|26 pages

Understanding Drug Control Policy

chapter 14|30 pages

Control through Treatment and Prevention