Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts and Control.

Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts and Control, 3rd edition by Michael D. Lyman and Gary W. Potter, Anderson Publishing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, 1998

Drugs have often been cited as one of the major reasons for the recent explosion in our nation's inmate population. Various points of view, often dependant upon political rhetoric, provide contradictory conclusions on the ties between drugs and crime. Some argue that drug users commit proportionately more crimes than those who do not use drugs. Therefore, their prosecution and imprisonment are justified. Others argue that decriminalization of drugs will alleviate the prison crisis by removing the drug user and drug trafficker from the inmate population. Such a decriminalization would permit criminal justice resources to be devoted to nondrug crimes (e.g., murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries). As a result of these divergent views, many texts are written from either a law enforcement perspective or a treatment or social work perspective.

The authors have avoided the politicalization of the drug issue by writing a balanced, thorough, well-reasoned book on the drug phenomenon in our society. Both authors have impressive credentials for writing such a text. Together they have over 30 years of experience in the criminal justice field.

The authors divided their text into three major parts: Understanding the Problem, Gangs and Drugs, and Fighting Back. Within these major divisions, they have 14 chapters that cover the whole spectrum of the issue. They devote specific chapters to the history of drug use, the domestic and international drug trade, the role of organized crime and gangs, drug control/ prevention, and even the issue of legalizing drugs. Their chapters on the illicit drug trade and the domestic drug production are particularly interesting. For instance, the chapter on the illicit drug trade covers not only the trade routes of various drugs, but also the roles individuals play in this criminal enterprise and reasons for price fluctuations. The book also includes chapters devoted to the political solutions attempted and to various treatment efforts. Information presented in the text regarding the historical roles of various governments concerning drugs is also noteworthy. For instance, the authors discuss the role of Great Britain, France, Russia, and even the United States, in the legalization of opium in China via the Tientsin Treaty (1858).

The entire text is easy to read, and the material proves very interesting. Each chapter includes a list of terms and discussion questions to facilitate the learning of the material.

The authors have provided a historical, theoretical, and fact-driven work on one of the greatest social ills of modern society. Law enforcement personnel, attorneys, judges, correctional officials, and treatment specialists will all benefit from reading this text.