Drug policy and human nature: psychological perspectives on the prevention, management, and treatment of illicit drug abuse

ENGLISH :
In this volume we have brought together a group of specialists whose work, when taken together, addresses the primary psychological issues relevant to the making of drug policy. The purpose of the volume, however, is not merely to inform social scientists and policy makers about the various features of research on illicit drugs, but also to give psychologists an opportunity to provide policy recommendations based on their own knowledge and expertise. In doing this, we hope to show that psychology can inform us about illicit drugs and drug dependence and can participate in the formation of policy. To reflect these aspects of drug policy - the psychological science of psychoactive drugs and the psychology of policy - we have organized the volume into five parts. In the first three parts (covering psychological science), contemporary research is reviewed with respect to drug policy. Basic science is discussed in Part I first in terms of the evolution of drug abuse (Chapter 1), and then in terms of the clinical implications of basic processes involved in drug use (Chapter 2). The chapters in Part II examine the problem of changing drug use at the individual, cultural, and societal levels (Chapters 3-5). Part III comprises a thorough discussion of innovations in drug treatment services (Chapters 6 and 7). The last two parts of the volume also examine psychological aspects of drug policy but with a greater emphasis on policy issues (covering the psychology of drug policy). The chapters in Part I\/ provide a critique of assumptions underlying current drug policies and then propose policy alternatives (Chapters 8 and 9). This is followed by Part V, comprising four chapters that look at different social and cultural factors involved in the psychology of drug policy (Chapters 10-13). Together, these five parts provide the reader with a comprehensive account of psychological aspects of drug policy and, hopefully, further the contributions of psychology to policies regarding the nonmedical use of psychoactive drugs. (Extract of the publication)