Perception and regulation of drug use: the rise and fall of the tide

Article Abstract:

Drug use seems to historically cycle with the public's level of awareness and approval of specific drugs. With widespread public approval, the United States enacted its first legislation aimed at prohibiting drug use in the 1920's. This legislation came after a generation of legal and ready access to heroin, cocaine, morphine, and opium. The public's perception of the harm that drugs can do has much to do with the success of prohibition laws. Evidence of this trend is the success of cocaine prohibition and failure of alcohol prohibition during the same time period. Alcohol consumption has risen nearly three-fold since the end of Prohibition in 1933. Unfortunately, society's learning curve for realizing the inherent danger in addictive drugs is long. Unless the public's perception of drug use stabilizes, future generations are likely to repeat the past century's cycles.

Editorial, Political aspects, Narcotics, Control of, Narcotics control

---

Mortality trends tell us how we're doing

Article Abstract:

Information gained from mortality studies can help set priorities for funding and improvement in various areas of society. Overall, the United States reached a record-high in life expectancy in 1996 of 76.1 years. However, individual areas vary. AIDS deaths began to drop in 1996 due, presumably, to the introduction of aggressive antiretroviral therapy, and cancer deaths declined for the first time, but the reason for that decline is not clear.

Usage, Mortality, Statistics, Statistics (Data)

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Childhood activity and diet in prevention of obesity: a review of the evidence. Changing the nation's diet: a study of responses to current nutritional messages
• Abstracts: Restraint reduction in the head injury population. Standards and practice guidelines as the foundation for clinical practice
• Abstracts: In and out in 10 minutes. Nothing to sneeze at. Your nose unplugged
• Abstracts: A randomized study of the prevention of sudden death in patients with coronary artery disease. A mysterious death: presentation of case

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.