Drug Policy And Human Nature

Description:
This insightful work addresses the problem of preventing, managing, and treating illicit drug use. It approaches drug use and abuse from several perspectives - including the scientific study of abused drugs, epidemiology, clinical drug treatment, and basic science - to illustrate the various reasons for abuse on both an individual and societal level. 'Drug Policy and Human Nature' provides a thorough psychological analysis of the relationship between drugs, culture, and human nature and facilitates a more collaborative and effective approach to improving American drug policy.

Review:
'An excellent text for both graduate courses and advanced undergraduate courses on the psychology of addiction...will also be of value to social scientists and medical scientists...Perhaps most importantly, this book should be read by politicians and policy makers, regardless of their current views on and approaches to drug policy.' - Journal of Studies on Alcohol, March 1998 'Overall the volume is excellent, with superb reviews of the relevant literature covering the entire spectrum of the drug-abuse problem.' - American Scientist 'A novel and welcome approach to a difficult subject.' - Addiction

Table of Contents:
Informing Drug Policy via Psychological Science: Basic Research in Drug Abuse and Its Determinants: 1. Environmental Factors in the Instigation and Maintenance of Drug Abuse (J.L. Falk) 2. Psychological Science Speaks to Drug Policy: The Clinical Relevance and Policy Implications of Basic Behavioral Principles (W.K. Bickel, R.J. DeGrandpre) Informing Drug Policy via Psychological Science: Changing Drug Use: 3. Psychological Approaches to Prevention (B.H. Bry) 4. Drug Abuse, Drug Treatment and Public Policy (S.M. Hall et al.) 5. Cultural Factors in the Prevention, Management and Treatment of Illicit Drug Use: The Earthlings' Psychological Trek (J. Westermeyer) Informing Drug Policy via Psychological Science: Innovations in Treatment Services: 6. Achieving the Public Health and Safety Potential of Substance Abuse Treatments: Implications for Patient Referral, Treatment Matching, and Outcome Evaluation (A.T. McLellan, C. Weisner) 7. Drug Policy and the Enhancement of Access to Treatment (J.V. Brady) The Psychology of Drug Policy: Psychological Assumptions Behind Policy: 8. Examining the Behavioral Assumption of the National Drug Control Strategy (R. MacCoun, J. Caulkins) 9. Assumptions about Drugs and the Marketing of Drug Policies (S. Peele) 10. The Pharmacological Understanding of Psychoactive Drugs: Basic Science in the Context of Differential Prohibition (A.P. Leccese) The Psychology of Drug Policy: Social and Cultural Factors Influencing Drug Policy: 11. American and Canadian Drug Policy: A Canadian Perspective (B.K. Alexander et al.) 12. The War on Drugs as a Metaphor in American Culture (D.B. Heath) 13. The Impact of Socially Constructed Knowledge on Drug Policy (R.J. DeGrandpre) Index