Drugs in Society

Book excerpt: 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.