In a state-of-the-art presentation, Heroin in the Age of Crack-Cocaine presents articles by experts in the field on current developments and emerging trends in addition to a historical overview of heroin use in this country. Filling a void in the literature on whatAEs known about the "new" heroin users, this volume also updates the readers on the status of aging heroin addicted populations who initiated use of the drug prior to the "age of cocaine." Having moved from the stereotypical "shooting galleries" of back alleys in inner city neighborhoods, heroin addiction continues to rise in mainstream culture and new ways of administration have come into use. A relative abundance of purer Southeast Asian heroin, the rapid rise in popularity of crack-cocaine, treatment controversies, and the realized role that injection drug use plays in the transmission of HIV all suggest increased dimensions of the heroin problem and in their saliency for the 1990s and beyond. Academics, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and students will find Heroin in the Age of Crack-Cocaine to be a comprehensive and significant contribution to existing research, as well as a stimulant to further discussion and study of this rapidly evolving issue and its impact in the health and criminal justice arenas of our society.

Harm reduction programs accept the reality of drug use while attempting to reduce its harmful consequences to individuals and society. This term, coined about 15 years ago in the U.K., has become a policy paradigm increasingly explored throughout most of the industrialized world. An example of a harm reduction program is the widely accepted substitution of methadone for the more "harmful" heroin. Programs that divert drug-involved offenders into treatment are another example of the operationalization of harm reduction policies.

In these 10 original chapters, international contributors discuss the philosophical basis and history of harm reduction policies and examine their outcome. They also cover controversial topics related to harm reduction, especially conflicts between the public health system where most programs are located, and a worldwide criminal justice system that further marginalizes drug users. Included in this book are descriptions of programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Australia.

The editors provide the context with a substantive introductory chapter focusing on the nature of harm reduction. The first part contains five chapters presenting the American perspectives on harm reduction; Part II includes five chapters presenting international perspectives from countries with particularly innovative harm reduction programs and policies.

In a state-of-the-art presentation, Heroin in the Age of Crack-Cocaine presents articles by experts in the field on current developments and emerging trends in addition to a historical overview of heroin use in this country. Filling a void in the literature on whatAEs known about the "new" heroin users, this volume also updates the readers on the status of aging heroin addicted populations who initiated use of the drug prior to the "age of cocaine." Having moved from the stereotypical "shooting galleries" of back alleys in inner city neighborhoods, heroin addiction continues to rise in mainstream culture and new ways of administration have come into use. A relative abundance of purer Southeast Asian heroin, the rapid rise in popularity of crack-cocaine, treatment controversies, and the realized role that injection drug use plays in the transmission of HIV all suggest increased dimensions of the heroin problem and in their saliency for the 1990s and beyond. Academics, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and students will find Heroin in the Age of Crack-Cocaine to be a comprehensive and significant contribution to existing research, as well as a stimulant to further discussion and study of this rapidly evolving issue and its impact in the health and criminal justice arenas of our society.