Drugtaking and Prevention: The Implications of Research for Social Policy

Summary Aetiological theories of drug use are briefly reviewed. It is concluded that many complex factors appear to give rise to drug use in general and to drug dependence in particular. Illegal drug use is sometimes attributable to profound social conditions, ideologies, deprivation of psychological disposition. Such factors may, by their nature, be resistant to traditional methods of health education. It is suggested that future policy might be more successful if aimed at ‘high risk’ groups and based upon a more realistic assessment of the causes of drug use.