In recent years, the use of illegal substances has increased, particularly 'designer' drugs which have rapidly become part of youth culture. The need for all involved in drug control to have up to date information about the subject has never been greater. This book helps meet this need by providing a chemical background to the legal controls on drugs of abuse. Although focussed on the UK, some of the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act derive from international treaties; the discussion of technical aspects is therefore of wider relevance. Apart from the Act itself, the book also deals with certain aspects of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. There is detailed coverage of 'designer drugs' and the generic legislation that was introduced to tackle them. The more recent addition of 35 'Ecstasy'-like substances is covered in depth. The significance to the legislation of terms such as salt, base, stereoisomer, ester, ether, derivative, homologue and isotope are described, and the text is supplemented by 23 Tables and over 80 chemical structures. There are eleven Appendices covering topics such as precursor chemicals, related legislation, stated cases, sentencing guidelines and the chemical characteristics of commonly-abused drugs. Up-to-date lists of controlled drugs, with cross references to their status in UN treaties, are provided and a number of pending and other possible changes to the Act are included together with a guide to nomenclature and synonyms. Although primarily aimed at forensic scientists, this book will be of great benefit to all bodies concerned with drug control, including the police, customs officers, lawyers and government departments.
