Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to their History, Chemistry, Use, and Abuse
 

This book is great to have around whenever swiy has questions about a substance. It's written approachably, and therefore can be read cover to cover, but it's also a great resourse for if swiy wants to know something specific, like how long a drug stays in the bloodstream, how to purify a chemical or if a substance is schedule I, II or III (for instance if one wants to reply to a drugs forum thread :) )

This also seems to be quite accurate. There have been some concerns as to the accuracy of "From Chocolate to Morphine, " and this seems to be much more realistic. The author states that he is interested in correcting the much popularized incorrect information about drugs so that users can be as safe as possible, and from what I have read of the book this rings true.

Re: Illegal Drugs
 

Can you give more details? Author?

Re: Illegal Drugs
 

Sure thing. The full title is Illegal drugs: A Complete guide to their History, Chemistry, Use and Abuse.

The author is Paul Gahlinger MD PhD

I used the amazon link in the review so that anyone wishing to purchase this can use the drugs forum link, which supports the site.

Um, i also know the earlier edition of the book is called "Illegal Drugs, A to Z," and i suspect that the major differences are changes in drug policy and legality, and the scheduling of some drugs.

The book begins with a general knowledge portion, detailing the histories of the main groups of drugs, then giving a tutorial on understanding the legal information about drugs, drug testing, etc. The second section is devoted to drug descriptions, containing chapters discussing different substances, for example, LSD. The drug's effects are explained, then there are sections on safety issues, addiction potential, positive effects of the drug, chemistry, and a profile of 'who's using' the drug. It is extremely in-depth and a great resource.