• Discusses the history of drug use from ancient times
• Explains the facts about how drugs work, including alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, as well as beta-blockers, antidepressants, and painkillers
• Explores political, legal, medical, and social aspects of recreational drug-taking, and gives opinions about the legalization of drugs such as cannabis
• Explains how therapeutic drugs are developed and tested, and how the drug industry works

　　　　
The twentieth century saw a remarkable upsurge of research on drugs, with major advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, heart disease, stomach ulcers, cancer, and mental illnesses. These, along with the introduction of the oral contraceptive, have altered all of our lives. There has also been an increase in the recreational use and abuse of drugs in the Western world. 
　　
This Very Short Introduction, in its second edition, gives a non-technical account of how drugs work in the body. Reviewing both legal (alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine) and illegal drugs, Les Iversen discusses why some are addictive, and whether drug laws need reform.