The very first thing ever bought or sold on the Internet was marijuana, when Stanford and MIT students used ARPANET to cut a deal in the early '70s. Today, you can order any conceivable pill or powder with the click of a mouse. In Drugs Unlimited, Mike Power tells the tale of drugs in the Internet Age, in which users have outmaneuvered law enforcement, breached international borders, and created a massive worldwide black market. But the online market in narcotics isn't just changing the way drugs are bought and sold; it's changing the nature of drugs themselves. Enterprising dealers are using the Web to engage highly skilled foreign chemists to tweak the chemical structures of banned drugs—just enough to create a similar effect and just enough to render them legal in most parts of the world. Drugs are marketed as "not for human consumption," but everyone knows exactly how they're going to be used—what they can't know is whether their use might prove fatal. From dancefloors to the offices of apathetic government officials, via social networking sites and underground labs, Power explores this agile, international, virtual subculture that will always be one step ahead of the law.

The appetite for illicit drugs in the UK continues to grow and diversify. Young Britons consume more drugs than their peers anywhere else in Europe. Why and how has this happened and why have all official efforts to stem drug 'abuse' so far failed. Will the new UK drugs strategy fair any better? This unique collection of contemporary studies from the frontline by a leading social research group describes the drugs landscape in an accessible and authoritative way.

This handbook provides a comprehensive examination of the past and present roles of drugs in society with a focus on theory, research, policy, and practice. Includes 28 original chapters with multi-disciplinary and international perspectives by top social and behavioral scientists Reviews current knowledge in the field, including key research findings, theoretical developments, and methodological debates Identifies ongoing controversies in the field, emergent topics, and areas in need of further inquiry Discusses individual drugs as well as topics like physiological theories of drug use and abuse, public health implications of drugs, patterns of drugs and crime, international drug trade and trafficking, and designer drugs

Drugs: Policy and Politics is an accessible introduction to the links between drugs and social policy. Assessing current and recent policies and political responses, it considers the ways in which drugs policy is formulated and implemented in the UK and Europe. The book examines the dynamic context of drug policy through discussions of broader policy fields such as health and the criminal justice system. The contributors offer evidence-based insights into the social complexities of both drug use and drug users, as they examine those specific groups who are associated with particular patterns of drug use. Drug issues are linked with aspects of gender, race and social exclusion, all of which have a resonance in the current discourses of policy making. Drugs: Policy and Politics provides an important set of tools with which to rethink the diversity of drug use and drug users. It is important reading for social policy students and researchers, as well as trainee social workers, probation officers, police and prison officers.

Whilst it supported a number of steps the Government has taken in its 2010 drug strategy, it believes more needs to be done to comprehensively address the drugs problem in the UK. The report focuses on the need to 'break the cycle' of drug addiction, and highlights in particular the need for improved treatment in prisons and wider society, and for early intervention with better education and preventative work. Three key areas were covered: prisons; treatment and the calling for the establishment of a Royal Commission into the issues. The Committee was disturbed to find that almost a quarter of prisoners found it easy to get drugs in prison and recommended that measures such as regular random drug tests based on suspicion be increased. It was concerned that the Government's policy of recovery was not being implemented, in particular that drug rehabilitation in prison was undermined by the lack of support for offenders on release, and did not take into account prescription drug addiction. The Committee is also concerned that the goal of retaining addicts in treatment has precluded attempts at recovery. It supported the Government's objective of recovery but noted that this will require a range of treatment options, with each individual needing a tailored treatment plan. The Committee highlighted residential rehabilitation and the use of buprenorphine as an alternative to methadone as two treatment methods which were currently under-utilised. Treatment must also be supplemented by housing, training and employment support if required

Misuse of Drugs is a basic and accessible guide to the complex world of proscribed drugs. Expertly written by experienced lecturer Leonard Jason-Lloyd, it explains key provisions in short and illuminating chapters. Enhanced by tables, notes, appendices, definitions Explanations of how a multitude of drug laws apply Comprehensive lists of drugs, their classifications, related offences, penalties and other orders Developments that are likely to affect drugs law Misuse of Drugs will be extremely useful to a wide range of people including police officers, magistrates and other court practitioners, as well as those working in prisons and the probation service, drug workers, penal reformers, students and researchers. It is also suitable for use in schools and colleges of higher education. CONTAINS A CLOSING CHAPTER ON CURRENT ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DRUGS ARENA

A high proportion of crimes committed in Britain are drugs-related, with many offenders having a documented history of drug use. However, the direct link between drugs and crime is often less clear than is supposed and this text attempts to achieve a better understanding of these and surrounding issues that have been marred by misunderstanding and a lack of consensus amongst experts. This text offers a major contribution to existing debates and provides an authoritative and much-needed overview of the range of issues associated with drugs-related crime. Coverage includes: a discussion on theoretical approaches to drugs and crime, an overview of the legal position on drugs and drug offenders, a critique of the aims and nature of treatment, an examination of trafficking and laundering, an analysis of the policing of drugs markets, a discussion about the legalisation debates. This new edition has been fully updated to include the latest data and recent developments in policy and particular attention is paid to changes in sentencing and treatment, as well as changes to practice in trafficking. An expanded chapter on women, drugs and crime now offers further coverage of drug-taking and prostitution. This is the only book in Britain which centres on the links between drugs and crime, and deals with the policy implications of that link. It is a comprehensive account of the various aspects of Government policy concerning drugs, and should be particularly useful to academics and students interested in or studying this aspect of criminology.