Something Dangerous: Emergent and Changing Illicit Drug Use and Community Health

This research-based, theory-driven account of the changing underground world of drug use and associated health effects covers the essential ground in a brisk, authoritative fashion. After a thorough outline of the nature and history of drug use dynamics, the author assesses the role of youth in new drug use practices, the impact of illicit drug distribution and the war on drugs, and the public health risks of new trends in drug use behavior. The volume provides an up-close, ethnographic account of the social worlds of drug sellers and users and the processes of change in patterns of drug consumption. Additionally, it considers mechanisms for effective public health responses to emergent health risks associated with changing drug use patterns. Because Singer carefully explains all technical terms, uses clarifying examples, and avoids jargon, readers will walk away from this volume with a deeper grasp of this social problem; with appreciation for how change figures into drug use practices; and with knowledge of key social, cultural, political-economic, criminal justice, and health factors. While ideal as a text in the undergraduate classroom, its targeted focus on a specific topic and careful exploration of that issue—including new concepts and theory that advance the fields of drug studies and public health—make it appealing for use at more advanced levels.

Also by Merrill Singer and available from Waveland Press: Drugging the Poor: Legal and Illegal Drugs and Social Inequality (ISBN 9781577664949); Drugs and Development: The Global Impact on Sustainable Growth and Human Rights (ISBN 9781577665724); and The Face of Social Suffering: The Life History of a Street Drug Addict (ISBN 9781577664321). Title of related interest from Waveland Press: Glasser, Anthropology of Addictions and Recovery (ISBN 9781577665588).