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Introduction: Change and Continuity

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The Politics of Drugs

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Abstract

This chapter introduces the themes of the book. Over a 40 year period, ‘drugs’ have become a more familiar aspect of British life and increased in importance as a social issue. There have been changes in patterns of drug taking. While heroin use has receded, use of novel psychoactive substances has increased. The drugs problem cannot be said to have gone away even if reported drug crimes are going down. What we see is a more complex pattern of use. This chapter introduces the key concepts and theoretical perspectives which will inform the analysis of the drugs policy process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Susanne MacGregor

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  1. Susanne MacGregor
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Correspondence to Susanne MacGregor .

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MacGregor, S. (2017). Introduction: Change and Continuity. In: The Politics of Drugs. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-49682-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-49682-9_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-49681-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-49682-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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