This work focuses on the many critical areas of America’s drug problem, providing a foundation for rational decision making within this complex and multidisciplinary field. Broken up into three sections, Understanding the Problem, Gangs and Drugs, and Fighting Back, topics covered include the business of drugs and the role of organized crime in the drug trade, drug legalization and decriminalization, legal and law enforcement strategies, an analysis of the socialization process of drug use and abuse, and a historical discussion of drug abuse that puts the contemporary drug problem into perspective.

• An evenhanded, comprehensive, "big picture" examination of the nation’s drug problem, including thoughtful analysis of diverse perspectives on the critical social issues surrounding drug control policy.
• Extensively revised throughout with expanded treatment of topics such as medical marijuana legislation; research on addiction; the impact of family systems on drug use patterns and the effectiveness of drug abuse prevention programs; and developments in drug source countries, including violence trends, crop eradication efforts, new trafficking technology; and more.
• Supplemented with pedagogical tools, photos, charts, appendices, and new case studies