薬と人のかかわりは深く、私たちの生活と切り離せないものになっています。20世紀には伝染病、心臓疾患、癌、そして精神疾患の新しい治療薬が導入され、経口避妊薬は人々の生のあり方さえ変えてきました。本書は、摂取した薬物がどのようにして体内で作用するのかについて、一般的な言葉で詳しく説明するほか、アルコール、ニコチン、カフェインなどの合法な薬物から違法薬物まで、またなぜその一部は他より依存性が高いのかも解説します。(cf. Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know)
   

• 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.