NCJ Number
125678
Journal
International Journal of Drug Policy Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (July-August 1990) Pages: 31-33
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
In international conventions dealing with illicit drug use, the difference between legal and illegal substances is couched in terminology which seems objective, but is actually subjective and ideological; the main difficulties lay in the terms "narcotic," "abuse," and "addiction."
Abstract
In the 1961 United Nations Single Convention, "narcotics" became the definition of socially disapproved and illegal drugs and "drugs" were defined, not by objective qualities, but through their classification into a subjectively sanctioned category. "Abuse" is defined by the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence of the World Health Organization as any kind of non-medical use of drugs. Other authoritative sources have defined drug abuse in terms that mirror legal and cultural, rather than scientific, realities. In 1965, the WHO developed a general definition of drug dependence too wide and vague to realistically categorize dangerous behaviors. However, the diagnostic guidelines of the dependence syndrome are based on much stricter criteria. Finally, the definition of non-medical use is related to recreational use of drugs, but excludes the use of alcohol and tobacco, despite the fact that they also produce dependencies. 13 references.