ABSTRACT
This chapter discuses the importance of sociological and public health examinations of young people, drugs and clubs. 'Ravers' or 'clubbers' might be the best way to capture young people part of a cultural phenomenon that commenced in the mid to late 1980s. The style of ravers and clubbers, generally speaking, is also relatively ambiguous. Rave and club cultures are further distinct from previous youth cultures due to the centrality of music. The terms 'club drugs' and 'dance drugs' have emerged, relatively recently, to indicate a variety of drugs with stimulant and/or hallucinogenic properties commonly used within raves and clubs. As youthful drug use has generally increased, social scientists and public health researchers have begun to think differently about such use. Youthful drug use associated with raves and clubs has initiated both criminal justice and public health reactions, some at state-wide levels. The generation of young people who grew up as raving emerged will eventually witness the fate of clubbing.
