Issues Today: Using Illegal Drugs

Around one in 12 adults aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales had taken an illicit drug in the last year – that’s around 2.8 million people! This book explores the short and long term effects of various drugs, trends in drug use as well as drug laws and penalties around the world. It also considers what it means to have an addiction and why it affects some people more than others, the debate around ‘legal highs’ and the misuse of prescription drugs.

The information comes from a variety of sources, including government reports and statistics, newspapers and magazine articles, surveys and polls, academic research and literature from charities and lobby groups; articles have been tailored to an 11 to 14 age group. Additionally, at the end of each chapter are two pages of activities relating to the articles and issues raised in that chapter.