The introduction by the editors traces the use of various drugs for the enhancement of pleasure and performance or for the alteration of mood from the colonial period to the 21st century. The introduction concludes with a short glossary of the most important definitions of terms used in analyzing the drug scene. In Part I of this anthology, four papers discuss various theoretical perspectives on drug use and addiction. Part II contains four papers on alcohol and tobacco use that address the history of alcohol use and abuse, alcohol as a "gateway" to broader drug abuse, college binge drinking, and the impact of anti-smoking advertisement campaigns on teen smoking. In Part III, three papers focus on the harmful and medically beneficial effects of marijuana use, as well as a descriptive study of the drug combination of embalming fluid and marijuana or tobacco. The five papers in Part IV address narcotics, injection drug use, and HIV/AIDS. The four papers of Part V discuss various issues related to cocaine use and the use of other stimulants among the U.S. population. In Part VI, four papers consider patterns and trends in the use of hallucinogens and other psychoactive drugs. The four papers of Part VII discuss the drugs-crime connection, drug use and street crime in Miami, the drugs/violence nexus, and women in the street-level drug economy. Drug prevention, intervention, and treatment are addressed in the three papers of Part VIII, and Part IX concludes the book with four papers on drug policy considerations. This Third Edition features 20 new papers and covers recent trends and contemporary topics in drug abuse. Introductions to each section and each paper guide the student by identifying and explaining central issues, key concepts, and relationships among topics. Notes and discussion topics accompany each paper.