"Drugs & Society is written on a personal level and addresses not only college students but the general population by incorporating individual drug use and abuse experiences as well as personal and institutional perspectives. Students will find these personal accounts both insightful and interesting. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to the impact of drug use and abuse on the lives of average individuals. The authors have integrated their expertise in the fields of drug abuse, pharmacology, and sociology with their extensive experiences in research, treatment, drug policy making, and drug policy implementation to create an edition that speaks directly to students on the medical, emotional, and social damage drug use can cause"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction to drugs and society -- Explaining drug use and abuse -- Homeostatic systems and drugs -- How and why drugs work -- CNS depressants: Sedative hypnotics -- Alcohol: Pharmacological effects -- Alcohol: Behavioral effects -- Narcotics (Opioids) -- Stimulants -- Tobacco -- Hallucinogens (Psychedelics) -- Marijuana -- Inhalants -- Over-the-counter, prescription, and herbal drugs -- Drug use in subcultures of special populations -- Drug abuse prevention -- Treating drug dependence.