Preface |
|
xi | |
Chapter endnotes |
|
ix | |
URLs and web links |
|
ix | |
Acknowledgements |
|
ix | |
|
Chapter 1 Why I had to write this book |
|
|
1 | (9) |
|
|
7 | (3) |
|
Chapter 2 Is ecstasy more dangerous than horse riding? |
|
|
10 | (27) |
|
Comparing horse riding with ecstasy |
|
|
11 | (3) |
|
|
14 | (1) |
|
|
15 | (1) |
|
|
16 | (2) |
|
What are the other harms of ecstasy? |
|
|
18 | (1) |
|
Ecstasy becomes a media crusade |
|
|
18 | (4) |
|
|
22 | (2) |
|
Why measuring drug harms frightens politicians |
|
|
24 | (2) |
|
A cautionary tale: how the UN made the harms of ecstasy much worse |
|
|
26 | (11) |
|
Chapter 3 How can we measure the harms done by drugs? |
|
|
37 | (25) |
|
Evidence-based comparison of harms |
|
|
37 | (2) |
|
Sixteen different sorts of harm |
|
|
39 | (4) |
|
Multi-criteria decision analysis |
|
|
43 | (1) |
|
|
44 | (2) |
|
Which drugs did the expert panel consider? |
|
|
46 | (1) |
|
|
47 | (2) |
|
|
49 | (2) |
|
|
51 | (1) |
|
|
52 | (1) |
|
Media & government reaction to the report |
|
|
53 | (1) |
|
Analysis in Europe, Canada & Australia |
|
|
54 | (1) |
|
A new drug classification scheme based on harms |
|
|
55 | (2) |
|
Reviewing a drug's Class? The case of ketamine |
|
|
57 | (5) |
|
Chapter 4 Why do people take drugs? |
|
|
62 | (22) |
|
Chemicals in the human brain |
|
|
62 | (2) |
|
A typical day without drugs |
|
|
64 | (1) |
|
|
65 | (1) |
|
1 Opioids - opium, heroin, methadone, buprenorphine, codeine |
|
|
66 | (2) |
|
2 Stimulants or "uppers" - cocaine, amphetamine etc |
|
|
68 | (1) |
|
3 Depressants or "downers" - alcohol, benzodiazepines, GHB |
|
|
69 | (1) |
|
4 Psychedelics - LSD, mushrooms, ayuesca/DMT, peyote/mescaline etc. |
|
|
69 | (1) |
|
Less-easily classified drugs |
|
|
70 | (2) |
|
|
72 | (1) |
|
A brief history of drug use |
|
|
73 | (3) |
|
Why do people take drugs? |
|
|
76 | (4) |
|
Maximize benefits, minimize harms |
|
|
80 | (4) |
|
Chapter 5 Cannabis, from the medicine of Queens to public enemy number one? |
|
|
84 | (30) |
|
Cannabis as a fibre (hemp) |
|
|
85 | (1) |
|
|
85 | (1) |
|
What are the benefits of cannabis? |
|
|
86 | (3) |
|
What are the harms of cannabis? |
|
|
89 | (2) |
|
Methods of taking cannabis - its "routes of use" |
|
|
91 | (2) |
|
Is skunk more harmful than hash? |
|
|
93 | (1) |
|
The world-wide campaign against cannabis |
|
|
93 | (5) |
|
Medicinal cannabis use today |
|
|
98 | (2) |
|
Is it right to criminalize cannabis? |
|
|
100 | (5) |
|
Why are cannabidiol cocktails available in London but not New York? |
|
|
105 | (9) |
|
Chapter 6 Synthetic cannabinoids -- the problem of "spice" |
|
|
114 | (5) |
|
Chapter 7 If alcohol were discovered today, would it be legal? |
|
|
119 | (27) |
|
How the drinks industry influences alcohol policy |
|
|
122 | (11) |
|
How can we reduce the harm done by alcohol? |
|
|
133 | (7) |
|
|
140 | (6) |
|
Chapter 8 "Meow meow" -- should mephedrone have been banned? |
|
|
146 | (22) |
|
What is mephedrone and why is it called plant food? |
|
|
147 | (2) |
|
|
149 | (1) |
|
Why was mephedrone banned? |
|
|
150 | (2) |
|
The designer drug problem |
|
|
152 | (2) |
|
Alternative approaches to new drugs |
|
|
154 | (1) |
|
The very least we ought to know |
|
|
155 | (2) |
|
|
157 | (11) |
|
Chapter 9 What is addiction? Is there an "addictive personality"? |
|
|
168 | (25) |
|
|
169 | (2) |
|
The brain mechanisms of addiction |
|
|
171 | (5) |
|
What is tolerance and why does it occur? |
|
|
176 | (1) |
|
|
177 | (2) |
|
|
179 | (3) |
|
Is there an "addictive personality"? |
|
|
182 | (2) |
|
Protective factors - why some people don't get addicted to drugs |
|
|
184 | (1) |
|
|
185 | (8) |
|
Chapter 10 Can addiction be cured? |
|
|
193 | (24) |
|
|
195 | (2) |
|
Pharmacological substitutes |
|
|
197 | (2) |
|
Other pharmacological treatments |
|
|
199 | (1) |
|
|
200 | (1) |
|
Why do people take heroin, and why can't they stop? |
|
|
201 | (1) |
|
Using heroin to treat heroin addicts |
|
|
202 | (1) |
|
Advantages and disadvantages of methadone treatment |
|
|
203 | (2) |
|
Buprenorphine - a better solution? |
|
|
205 | (1) |
|
Evaluating treatments and defining government drugs policy |
|
|
206 | (3) |
|
The Portuguese experiment - legal changes |
|
|
209 | (2) |
|
|
211 | (1) |
|
|
212 | (5) |
|
Chapter 11 Cocaine -- from chewing to crack |
|
|
217 | (15) |
|
Routes of use and main associated harms |
|
|
217 | (2) |
|
Why are drugs used in different forms? |
|
|
219 | (1) |
|
Kinetics and dynamics of addiction |
|
|
219 | (1) |
|
From chewing to crack: the history of cocaine |
|
|
220 | (5) |
|
Why is crack twice as addictive as cocaine? |
|
|
225 | (2) |
|
|
227 | (5) |
|
Chapter 12 Why was smoking banned in public places? |
|
|
232 | (25) |
|
The 2007 ban on smoking in public places in the UK |
|
|
232 | (1) |
|
|
233 | (1) |
|
What are tobacco's harms and benefits? |
|
|
234 | (3) |
|
How do we know that smoking causes lung cancer? |
|
|
237 | (2) |
|
Why is smoking so addictive? |
|
|
239 | (3) |
|
Public-health responses and industry resistance |
|
|
242 | (2) |
|
Did the UK 2007 smoking ban work? |
|
|
244 | (2) |
|
Freedom of choice to smoke? |
|
|
246 | (2) |
|
|
248 | (9) |
|
Chapter 13 Vaping and snus -- to vape or not to vape? |
|
|
257 | (6) |
|
|
260 | (3) |
|
Chapter 14 Prescription drugs; the US opioid crisis |
|
|
263 | (22) |
|
|
263 | (5) |
|
What are benzodiazepines and how do they work? |
|
|
268 | (4) |
|
Antidepressants and SSRIs |
|
|
272 | (3) |
|
|
275 | (1) |
|
The pharmaceutical industry and science |
|
|
276 | (2) |
|
The mental health epidemic |
|
|
278 | (2) |
|
|
280 | (1) |
|
|
281 | (4) |
|
Chapter 15 Can drugs improve physical and mental performance? |
|
|
285 | (15) |
|
Drugs to increase muscle and power |
|
|
285 | (4) |
|
|
289 | (2) |
|
Drugs for calmness in sports |
|
|
291 | (1) |
|
Improving mental performance - cognition enhancers |
|
|
291 | (6) |
|
|
297 | (3) |
|
Chapter 16 Psychedelics, and their use in treating depression |
|
|
300 | (21) |
|
How do psychedelics work? |
|
|
300 | (1) |
|
|
301 | (2) |
|
|
303 | (1) |
|
|
304 | (1) |
|
LSD leaves the laboratory |
|
|
305 | (2) |
|
What are the harms of LSD and psychedelics? |
|
|
307 | (2) |
|
What are the benefits of psychedelics? |
|
|
309 | (2) |
|
The renaissance of psychedelic research |
|
|
311 | (1) |
|
Should scientists take LSD? |
|
|
312 | (2) |
|
Magic mushrooms and other psychedelics |
|
|
314 | (2) |
|
Why were magic mushrooms banned in the UK? |
|
|
316 | (1) |
|
|
317 | (4) |
|
Chapter 17 The War on Drugs, and drugs in war |
|
|
321 | (30) |
|
|
321 | (4) |
|
The aims of the War on Drugs |
|
|
325 | (1) |
|
1 Has the War on Drugs reduced supply? |
|
|
326 | (3) |
|
2 Has the War on Drugs reduced demand? |
|
|
329 | (1) |
|
3 Has the War on Drugs minimized harm? |
|
|
330 | (8) |
|
|
338 | (1) |
|
What are the alternatives? |
|
|
339 | (12) |
|
Chapter 18 NPS -- novel psychoactive substances |
|
|
351 | (11) |
|
|
351 | (4) |
|
|
355 | (2) |
|
Spice (synthetic cannabinoids) |
|
|
357 | (3) |
|
|
360 | (2) |
|
Chapter 19 The future of drugs |
|
|
362 | (22) |
|
|
362 | (3) |
|
What are the risks of genetic sequencing? |
|
|
365 | (1) |
|
|
366 | (2) |
|
Learning and unlearning in addiction |
|
|
368 | (1) |
|
|
369 | (2) |
|
The Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs Foresight programme |
|
|
371 | (4) |
|
What sort of future do we want? |
|
|
375 | (1) |
|
Can we put science into policy-making? |
|
|
376 | (8) |
|
Chapter 20 What should I tell my kids about drugs? |
|
|
384 | (11) |
|
|
384 | (1) |
|
Talking to your children about drugs |
|
|
385 | (1) |
|
1 Alcohol and tobacco are drugs |
|
|
385 | (1) |
|
2 All drugs can potentially cause harm as well as pleasure |
|
|
386 | (1) |
|
3 Start telling your kids about drugs from an early age |
|
|
386 | (1) |
|
|
387 | (1) |
|
|
387 | (1) |
|
6 Don't take drink and drugs at the same time |
|
|
387 | (1) |
|
7 A criminal record could ruin your career |
|
|
388 | (1) |
|
8 Find good sources of advice |
|
|
389 | (1) |
|
9 If you do take drugs (including alcohol and tobacco) be clear why |
|
|
389 | (1) |
|
10 If you do get into trouble with drugs, get help quickly |
|
|
390 | (1) |
|
11 Make sure drugs don't interfere with your schoolwork |
|
|
391 | (4) |
Useful websites |
|
395 | (1) |
URLs referenced in the text |
|
395 | (1) |
Index |
|
396 | |