The illicit drug scene.

Abstract

Drug taking is probably not in itself a social or medical problem or a cause of such problems, and most drug takers never come to the notice of official agencies. The minority who constitute a problem may be involved with drug taking for complex or psychological reasons; they may be relying on drugs until alternative support becomes available. The commonest illicit drug is cannabis. Others include lysergide (LSD), which like cannabis is obtained wholly from unlawful sources. Amphetamines (and other central nervous stimulants) and barbiturates (and other central nervous de pressants) are also taken illicitly though their source originally may have been legitimate for example, they may have been stolen from pharmacies or overprescribed by doctors. Finally, opiates may find their way on to the black market from diversion of prescribed drugs on the one hand to smuggling of Chinese heroin on the other.