Susanne MacGregor (editor). Drugs and British Society: Responses to a Social Problem in the 1980s. London and New York: Routledge, 1989.
This edited collection adopted a social rather than medical perspective on drugs and emphasized that policy and practice should be based on reliable and detailed evidence and the informed judgements of people with a thorough understanding of the issue. ‘Drugs’ was placed in historical, social and political contexts. Chapters included: ‘The public debate in the 1980s’, pp. 1–19 and ‘Choices for policy and practice’, pp. 170–200. Other contributors were Virginia Berridge, Richard Hartnoll, Martin Plant, Lee O’Bryan, Angela Burr, Betsy Ettorre, Stephen Tippell, Robert Power and John Strang.
Susanne MacGregor (editor). Responding to Drug Misuse: Research and Policy Priorities in Health and Social Care. London: Routledge, 2011.
This book brought together research findings from the Department of Health’s Drug Misuse Research Initiative, which was linked to the government’s 10-year drugs strategy (‘Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain’). The chapters place the findings in the context of policy, practice and service development. Contributors reflect on current debates for drug strategies. Topics discussed include recent trends in drugs policy and how these link to crime; responses of dedicated drug treatment services; service users’ perceptions and suggestions for improvement; and the impact of drug misuse on children, families and communities. Contributors include Karen Duke, John Macleod, Duncan Raistrick, Gillian Tober, Christine Godfrey, Tim Weaver, Nicola Metrebian, Michael Donmall, Tim Miller, Polly Radcliffe, Alex Stevens, Joanne Neale, Christos Kouimtsidas, Colin Drummond, Michael Crawford, Sue Patterson, Kostas Agath, Vikki Charles, Martin Frisher, Ilana Crome, Jim Orford, Alex Copello, Daniel Clay, Judy Corlyon, Brynna Kroll and Andy Taylor. Chapters discuss patterns of drug-taking and use of services, care coordination, waiting for treatment, early exit from treatment, barriers to effective treatment of injecting drug users, prescribing injectable opiates, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), service user involvement, comorbidity, services for black and minority ethnic (BME) families, parental drug misuse and services for their children.
Susanne MacGregor. The Politics of Drugs: Perceptions, Power and Policies. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
This book explores the complexities of drugs policy in Britain, focusing on developments since the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It covers debates at national level and local experiences, set in an international and European context. Institutions and networks are examined to illustrate their roles as vehicles for ideas and interests within the policy process. The roles of key actors—including politicians, media and advocacy organizations—are analysed, as well as the influence of evidence in shaping policy. It summarizes reflections from years of research and involvement in the drugs field as well as research conducted specifically for this book.
