This monograph is based upon papers presented at a conference which took place on February 27-28, 1978, at the Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, California. The conference was conducted and reported by PLOG Research, Inc., Reseda, California.

Drug use and abuse continues to thrive in contemporary society worldwide and the instance and damage caused by addiction increases along with availability. The Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System presents objective, state-of-the-art information on the impact of drug abuse on the human nervous system, with each chapter offering a specific focus on nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, sedative-hypnotics, and designer drugs. Other chapters provide a context for drug use, with overviews of use and consequences, epidemiology and risk factors, genetics of use and treatment success, and strategies to screen populations and provide appropriate interventions. The book offers meaningful, relevant and timely information for scientists, health-care professionals and treatment providers. - A comprehensive reference on the effects of drug addiction on the human nervous system - Focuses on core drug addiction issues from nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, and other commonly abused drugs - Includes foundational science chapters on the biology of addiction - Details challenges in diagnosis and treatment options

Alcohol, Drugs, Genes and the Clinical Laboratory provides an overview and quick reference to genetic relationships and clinical laboratory information related to the serious public health issue of alcohol and drug abuse. Written in a clear and concise manner, this book discusses the necessary information for health and safety professionals working in public health to learn about complex issues quickly to better help their patients, employees, and others affected by alcohol and drug abuse. Alcohol, Drugs, Genes and the Clinical Laboratory covers the important aspects of drugs and alcohol abuse including genetic aspects along with laboratory methods for analysis of alcohol and abused drugs with emphasis on false positive test results. The book is helpful to healthcare professionals, such as pathologists who oversee alcohol and drug testing, emergency room physicians, family practice physicians who are first healthcare professionals who identify patients susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse, and psychiatrists involved with drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. It will also be useful to safety professionals who have to assess individuals for workplace responsibilities, ranging from police and recruitment to occupational safety and occupational medicine and public health officials. - Features accessible language for healthcare and safety professionals who are not experts in laboratory procedures - Provides examples from clinical and everyday situations - Explains how to interpret laboratory results and the latest genetic factors regarding drug and alcohol abuse

Detection of Drugs and Their Metabolites in Oral Fluid presents the analytical chemistry methods used for the detection and quantification of drugs and their metabolites in human oral fluid. The authors summarize the state of the science, including its strengths, weaknesses, unmet methodological needs, and cutting-edge trends. This volume covers the salient aspects of oral fluid drug testing, including specimen collection and handling, initial testing, point of collection testing (POCT), specimen validity testing (SVT), and confirmatory and proficiency testing. Analytes discussed include amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine, cannabimimetics, and miscellaneous drugs. This practical guide helps users turn knowledge into practice, moving logically from an outline of the problem, to the evaluation of the appropriateness of oral fluid as a test medium, and finally to a consideration of detection methods and their validation and employment. - Compares different collection and testing systems to assist readers involved in clinical or forensic practice in selecting oral fluid as the matrix of choice - Provides a sound basis for the detection of drugs and their metabolites in oral fluid and the interpretation of both positive and negative - Places the need, or lack thereof, for specimen validity testing and confirmation testing in context with the purposes of oral fluid testing - Describes drugs and drug classes that can be tested, along with useful information on a patient/donor's drug status

New and improved therapies to treat and protect against drug dependence and abuse are urgently needed. In the United States alone about 50 million people regularly smoke tobacco and another 5 million are addicted to other drugs. In a given year, millions of these individuals attemptâ€"with or without medical assistanceâ€"to quit using drugs, though relapse remains the norm. Furthermore, each year several million teenagers start smoking and nearly as many take illicit drugs for the first time. Research is advancing on promising new means of treating drug addiction using immunotherapies and sustained-release (depot) medications. The aim of this research is to develop medications that can block or significantly attenuate the psychoactive effects of such drugs as cocaine, nicotine, heroin, phencyclidine, and methamphetamine for weeks or months at a time. This represents a fundamentally new therapeutic approach that shows promise for treating drug addiction problems that were difficult to treat in the past. Despite their potential benefits, however, several characteristics of these new methods pose distinct behavioral, ethical, legal, and social challenges that require careful scrutiny. Such issues can be considered unique aspects of safety and efficacy that are fundamentally related to the distinct nature and properties of these new types of medications.

Hallucinogens: A Forensic Drug Handbook is a comprehensive reference for everyone involved in the identification, investigation, and forensic analysis of hallucinogenic drugs. The text begins with a review of the history of these drugs and their abuse, and then takes an in-depth look at the many different types of hallucinogens, their chemical make-up, how they affect users, how they are manufactured and distributed, and how they can be detected and analyzed. Hallucinogens covers the most commonly abused drugs such as LSD, MDMA ("Ecstasy"), and PCP ("Angel Dust"), as well as many lesser-known chemical substances that cause similar effects. Chapters have been contributed by leading analysts and investigators around the world, and are highlighted with numerous illustrations. This unique handbook will serve is a cross-disciplinary source of information for forensic toxicologists, law enforcement officers, and others involved in the fight against drugs. * Brings together comprehensive information on hallucinogenic drugs in one convenient source * Covers everything from abuse of these drugs to pharmacology, effects, forms, manufacturing methods, distribution, and forensic analysis * Contains numerous illustrations, chemical structures, and analytic spectra for each drug * Includes contributions from many of the world's leading investigators and analysts

This publication shows designated first-aid providers how to diagnose, treat, and prevent the health problems of seafarers on board ship. This edition contains fully updated recommendations aimed to promote and protect the health of seafarers, and is consistent with the latest revisions of both the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines and the International Health Regulations.--Publisher's description.

Here is a broad overview of the central topics and issues in psychopharmacology, biological psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, with information about developments in the field, including novel drugs and technologies. The more than 2000 entries are written by leading experts in pharmacology and psychiatry and comprise in-depth essays, illustrated with full-color figures, and are presented in a lucid style.