A Theoretical Transdisciplinary Approach to Drug Use: History, Anthropology and Culture

T he transdisciplinary approach in drug use issues is the only condition for developing a global and holistic conception that does not neglect important parts of this serious world problem. Transdisciplinarity is concerned both with what is within the various disciplines within them, as well as with what is beyond them. In this article, I will argue that drug use is a transdisciplinary problem. Starting antiquity, drugs were not used for hedonistic purposes to cause pleasure as it happens today. Differences in the physiological and psychological effects of drugs account for some differences among drug cultures. Many subcultures exist outside mainstream society and thus are prone to fragmentation. Many of the core values of illicit drug culture involve the rejection of typical society and cultural values. Finally, one major change that has occurred in drug cultures in recent years is the development of Internet communities organized around drug use to which specialists must provide a prompt response.