Testing and Evaluation of Drugs of Abuse

This volume focuses on recent methodological advances and assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of various research methods in current use. The book describes how critical biological information on the major drugs of abuse is obtained in both laboratory and clinical settings, emphasizing how the apparently irreconcilable spheres of controlled laboratory experimentation and illicit drug use in the real world must be brought together so that discoveries made in one realm can effectively guide the direction of inquiry for the other. Everything from radioligand binding assays in the laboratory to heroin/cocaine "speedballing" on the street receives coverage. By taking a critical, analytic approach to the methodologies of modern drug research, the text provides not only a report of the latest findings, but also a framework for understanding the biochemical basis of addiction and planning strategies for future drug research and treatment programs.