The volume starts by pointing out that illicit drug use is widespread in most industrialized countries but that little is known about the structure of the drug distribution in different countries, the way in which drug markets respond to changes in supply and demand, and the impact of drug law enforcement. Further, while a large number of people engage in illicit drug use in industrialized countries, most do so in a relatively controlled way, and there are wide variations in drug use patterns both within and among countries. Different types of drug users typically use different types of retail markets, and these are supported by different types of distribution or supply systems. As with any other type of commodity, illicit drugs are traded within a market in which buyer and seller have to locate one another in order to conduct a transaction. Variations in the ways in which drug transactions are conducted are noted, as well as variations in drug distribution systems, supply and demand, and enforcement. Drug control strategies are discussed in terms of drug dependence, the elasticity of demand, demand reduction, drug treatment, and the involvement of ethnic minorities in drug distribution. The authors conclude that, since drug dealing and drug trafficking span international boundaries, drug research should be international in character as well. 44 references and 1 note