This key work exposes international studies from leading social sciences researchers who use various theoretical perspectives and methodological orientations to depict deviant drug and crime-related pathways. The chapters have been grouped into four sections. The first section, Deviance, Set and Setting, discusses a new basis for the understanding of deviant pathways. The second section, Youth, Drug and Delinquency Pathways, presents empirical studies which help to understand the drug-crime relationship. The third section discusses Adult, Drug and Crime Pathways adopted by drug users, flexers , traders or dealers, and traffickers. Finally, the fourth section, Ways Out of deviant pathways, explores approaches for controlling drug use and criminality socially or individually, with or without legal intervention or formal help. In short, this book presents an invaluable overview of the most advanced research in the field of deviant drug-and crime-related pathways.

Discussing illegal drugs without taking into account its criminal context is a difficult proposition. Certain questions come back repeatedly: Does doing drugs really lead to delinquency? Do some drugs have criminal properties? Why would a drug addict turn to crime? What are the best methods of intervention in dealing with individuals who have serious drug habits? The third edition of Drogue et criminalite : Une relation complexe (Les Presses de l'Universite de Montreal), translated here for the first time in English, presents an overview of the complex relationship between drugs and crime, avoids cursory affirmations to the effect that psychoactive substance use necessarily leads to crime. It also sheds light on the political and legislative contexts tied to drugs and offers an exceptional synthesis of the research literature of the past 20 years. The authors also discuss the increased attention to illegal drug users and people with addictions, and describe the different supports that are available to them. This book is published in English. - Concevoir la question des drogues illicites en dehors de leur contexte criminel est difficile. Certaines questions reviennent immanquablement : prendre de la drogue pousse-t-il vraiment a la delinquance ? Existe-t-il des drogues aux proprietes criminogenes ? Pourquoi un toxicomane se tourne-t-il vers la criminalite ? Quelles sont les meilleures facons d'intervenir aupres des personnes qui ont de graves problemes de consommation ? Cette troisieme edition presente la relation complexe entre drogue et criminalite, evitant les enonces sommaires qui voudraient que l'usage de substances psychoactives mene necessairement au crime. Elle met ainsi en lumiere les contextes politiques et legaux lies aux drogues et fait une synthese exceptionnelle des resultats de la recherche des vingt dernieres annees. Les auteurs rendent compte de l'importance accrue qu'on accorde desormais aux usagers de drogues illicites ainsi qu'aux personnes dependantes et ils decrivent les differentes formes d'aide qui leur sont proposees. Ce livre est publie en anglais.