This comprehensive reference guide describes more than 130 alphabetically arranged drugs of abuse, including both pharmaceutical and natural products. The book begins with a discussion of federal drug scheduling and drug categories. Individual entries for particular substances of abuse follow. Drug descriptions include: correct pronunciation, nicknames or street names, legal status, historical and present uses and misuses, abuse factors, interactions with other drugs, and findings of cancer risks and birth defects.
Scientific information is presented in a clear, simple manner designed for students and general readers alike. In addition to the A-Z descriptions, Miller provides an explanation of general drug types, such as stimulants and hallucinogens, as well as the aspects of drug abuse, including tolerance and withdrawal. A list of print and electronic sources is also included for readers seeking further information.
From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up-An effective starting point for student research. Concise, clear articles give readers a handle on specific topics while pointing them to further sources for more in-depth information. Facts have been pulled together from numerous scientific reports and journals. The more than 130 substances included are both natural and pharmaceutical products, all associated with misuse and addiction. Listed by common name, the initial citation includes pronunciation, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number, formal and informal names, drug type, U.S. availability, and more. The accompanying article discusses uses, drawbacks, abuse factors, drug interactions, cancer risks, and effects on pregnancy, and concludes with a bibliography. The introduction and explanation of drug types will help readers make sense of these substances as chemical compounds with pharmaceutical effects. Miller notes that this subject is "an emotionally charged" one and focuses on scientific fact and consensus. While the subject index is adequate, the drug name index is extensive, listing many common and street names for substances. Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Miller, who has authored other books on drug-related topics, has produced a remarkably clear and informative work intended for a wide audience, "from a student doing a term paper to reporters preparing a story, from parents reading that story to a narcotics law enforcement officer needing extra information."
Preceding the A-Z entries is a section on drug types that defines five major categories of drugs (e.g., stimulants, steroids), with subclasses where necessary. General information for each type of drug is given in detail, and all the alphabetical entries refer back to this section for descriptions of broad characteristics. The alphabetical listing of drugs that follows lists only substances "which have been declared a public concern by government officials, medical caregivers, or news media." Each entry includes the pronunciation of the substance, the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (a unique identifier for every chemical), formal name or names, informal ("street") names, the drug type, Federal Schedule Listing (which ranks drugs according to their potential for abuse), U.S. availability (e.g., prescription or illegal), and pregnancy category (based on the risk a drug poses to the fetus). Following this information, highly readable discussions cover uses, drawbacks, abuse factors, some drug interactions, cancer risk, pregnancy effects, and any additional information that seems pertinent. Both notes and reliable sources of additional scientific information are listed at the end of each of the entries.
Entries are appropriately weighted. Nutmeg, for example, is a bit over two pages, while Marijuana runs to a little over eight (including two pages of informal names). A comprehensive list of print and Internet sources is included at the end of the volume, as are an exhaustive and accurate drug name index and a subject index.
"An outstanding example of the successful communication of complex and potentially controversial information....[a]n eminently suitable book for public reference libraries. It could also be considered for college libraires, especially those catering for students in such subjects as social work, education and health studies, who are all likely to need basic information in this contentious area."-Reference Reviews
?A remarkably clear and informative work intended for a wide audience....The Encyclopedia of Addictive Drugs is recommended for high-school, academic, and large public libraries.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
?An effective starting point for student research. Concise, clear articles give readers a handle on specific topics while pointing them to futher sources for more in-depth information.?-School Library Journal
?An outstanding example of the successful communication of complex and potentially controversial information....[a]n eminently suitable book for public reference libraries. It could also be considered for college libraires, especially those catering for students in such subjects as social work, education and health studies, who are all likely to need basic information in this contentious area.?-Reference Reviews
?Courses such as psychology or those with a research angle is addictive drugs will find this title useful.?-Library Media Connection
?The writing is nontechnical and can be understood by students and general readers, but the book's most useful feature is the list of up-to-date scientific articles that follow each entry and the supplementary list of print and Internet sources....Recommended. General readers and undergraduates.?-Choice
?This book is a valuable and usable resource for anyone who reads. Professionals, not trained in medications or drugs, who encounter situations where knowing about a drug or class of drugs can be important, will find this book very helpful. This book is recommended for anyone who has a need to know about drugs and their effects. It is more useful than many other books on drugs and shows the effort of the author to provide solid and reliable information about the drugs. It does that very well.?-Issues in Child Abuse Accusations
?This book is recommended to all type of libraries as an excellent, specialized reference, and it useful high school and undergraduate students writing term papers on additive drugs.?-E-Streams Pharmacology
"A remarkably clear and informative work intended for a wide audience....The Encyclopedia of Addictive Drugs is recommended for high-school, academic, and large public libraries."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
"An effective starting point for student research. Concise, clear articles give readers a handle on specific topics while pointing them to futher sources for more in-depth information."-School Library Journal
"Courses such as psychology or those with a research angle is addictive drugs will find this title useful."-Library Media Connection
"The writing is nontechnical and can be understood by students and general readers, but the book's most useful feature is the list of up-to-date scientific articles that follow each entry and the supplementary list of print and Internet sources....Recommended. General readers and undergraduates."-Choice
"This book is recommended to all type of libraries as an excellent, specialized reference, and it useful high school and undergraduate students writing term papers on additive drugs."-E-Streams Pharmacology
"This book is a valuable and usable resource for anyone who reads. Professionals, not trained in medications or drugs, who encounter situations where knowing about a drug or class of drugs can be important, will find this book very helpful. This book is recommended for anyone who has a need to know about drugs and their effects. It is more useful than many other books on drugs and shows the effort of the author to provide solid and reliable information about the drugs. It does that very well."-Issues in Child Abuse Accusations
This comprehensive reference guide describes more than 130 alphabetically arranged drugs of abuse, including both pharmaceutical and natural products. The book begins with a discussion of federal drug scheduling and drug categories. Individual entries for particular substances of abuse follow. Drug descriptions include: correct pronunciation, nicknames or street names, legal status, historical and present uses and misuses, abuse factors, interactions with other drugs, and findings of cancer risks and birth defects.
Scientific information is presented in a clear, simple manner designed for students and general readers alike. In addition to the A-Z descriptions, Miller provides an explanation of general drug types, such as stimulants and hallucinogens, as well as the aspects of drug abuse, including tolerance and withdrawal. A list of print and electronic sources is also included for readers seeking further information.
From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up-An effective starting point for student research. Concise, clear articles give readers a handle on specific topics while pointing them to further sources for more in-depth information. Facts have been pulled together from numerous scientific reports and journals. The more than 130 substances included are both natural and pharmaceutical products, all associated with misuse and addiction. Listed by common name, the initial citation includes pronunciation, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number, formal and informal names, drug type, U.S. availability, and more. The accompanying article discusses uses, drawbacks, abuse factors, drug interactions, cancer risks, and effects on pregnancy, and concludes with a bibliography. The introduction and explanation of drug types will help readers make sense of these substances as chemical compounds with pharmaceutical effects. Miller notes that this subject is "an emotionally charged" one and focuses on scientific fact and consensus. While the subject index is adequate, the drug name index is extensive, listing many common and street names for substances.
Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Miller, who has authored other books on drug-related topics, has produced a remarkably clear and informative work intended for a wide audience, "from a student doing a term paper to reporters preparing a story, from parents reading that story to a narcotics law enforcement officer needing extra information."
Preceding the A-Z entries is a section on drug types that defines five major categories of drugs (e.g., stimulants, steroids), with subclasses where necessary. General information for each type of drug is given in detail, and all the alphabetical entries refer back to this section for descriptions of broad characteristics. The alphabetical listing of drugs that follows lists only substances "which have been declared a public concern by government officials, medical caregivers, or news media." Each entry includes the pronunciation of the substance, the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (a unique identifier for every chemical), formal name or names, informal ("street") names, the drug type, Federal Schedule Listing (which ranks drugs according to their potential for abuse), U.S. availability (e.g., prescription or illegal), and pregnancy category (based on the risk a drug poses to the fetus). Following this information, highly readable discussions cover uses, drawbacks, abuse factors, some drug interactions, cancer risk, pregnancy effects, and any additional information that seems pertinent. Both notes and reliable sources of additional scientific information are listed at the end of each of the entries.
Entries are appropriately weighted. Nutmeg, for example, is a bit over two pages, while Marijuana runs to a little over eight (including two pages of informal names). A comprehensive list of print and Internet sources is included at the end of the volume, as are an exhaustive and accurate drug name index and a subject index.
More general and accessible than the Drug Abuse Handbook (CRC, 1998), The Encyclopedia of Addictive Drugs is recommended for high-school, academic, and large public libraries. It covers more addictive drugs than Gale's Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students [RBB Mr 15 03], which is intended primarily for the high-school level. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"An outstanding example of the successful communication of complex and potentially controversial information....[a]n eminently suitable book for public reference libraries. It could also be considered for college libraires, especially those catering for students in such subjects as social work, education and health studies, who are all likely to need basic information in this contentious area."-Reference Reviews
?A remarkably clear and informative work intended for a wide audience....The Encyclopedia of Addictive Drugs is recommended for high-school, academic, and large public libraries.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
?An effective starting point for student research. Concise, clear articles give readers a handle on specific topics while pointing them to futher sources for more in-depth information.?-School Library Journal
?An outstanding example of the successful communication of complex and potentially controversial information....[a]n eminently suitable book for public reference libraries. It could also be considered for college libraires, especially those catering for students in such subjects as social work, education and health studies, who are all likely to need basic information in this contentious area.?-Reference Reviews
?Courses such as psychology or those with a research angle is addictive drugs will find this title useful.?-Library Media Connection
?The writing is nontechnical and can be understood by students and general readers, but the book's most useful feature is the list of up-to-date scientific articles that follow each entry and the supplementary list of print and Internet sources....Recommended. General readers and undergraduates.?-Choice
?This book is a valuable and usable resource for anyone who reads. Professionals, not trained in medications or drugs, who encounter situations where knowing about a drug or class of drugs can be important, will find this book very helpful. This book is recommended for anyone who has a need to know about drugs and their effects. It is more useful than many other books on drugs and shows the effort of the author to provide solid and reliable information about the drugs. It does that very well.?-Issues in Child Abuse Accusations
?This book is recommended to all type of libraries as an excellent, specialized reference, and it useful high school and undergraduate students writing term papers on additive drugs.?-E-Streams Pharmacology
"A remarkably clear and informative work intended for a wide audience....The Encyclopedia of Addictive Drugs is recommended for high-school, academic, and large public libraries."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
"An effective starting point for student research. Concise, clear articles give readers a handle on specific topics while pointing them to futher sources for more in-depth information."-School Library Journal
"Courses such as psychology or those with a research angle is addictive drugs will find this title useful."-Library Media Connection
"The writing is nontechnical and can be understood by students and general readers, but the book's most useful feature is the list of up-to-date scientific articles that follow each entry and the supplementary list of print and Internet sources....Recommended. General readers and undergraduates."-Choice
"This book is recommended to all type of libraries as an excellent, specialized reference, and it useful high school and undergraduate students writing term papers on additive drugs."-E-Streams Pharmacology
"This book is a valuable and usable resource for anyone who reads. Professionals, not trained in medications or drugs, who encounter situations where knowing about a drug or class of drugs can be important, will find this book very helpful. This book is recommended for anyone who has a need to know about drugs and their effects. It is more useful than many other books on drugs and shows the effort of the author to provide solid and reliable information about the drugs. It does that very well."-Issues in Child Abuse Accusations
About the Author
ICHARD LAWRENCE MILLER is an independent scholar.