Includes bibliographical references and index.

(Publisher-supplied data) Philosophy, politics and rhetoric; Three major perspectives: drug-free world/prohibition, drug use as a human right and harm reductionism; Drugs and crime; "Inherent" drug-related crime: the criminal justice system response; The evolving Irish policy on drugs and drug-related crime; A balanced policy? Effective compromise or confused muddle?; The general failure of prohibition to prevent drug use: underlying reasons and key implications; The failure of Irish prohibition; The seductive folly of prohibition; The promise of alternative approaches: the possibility of a Kuhnian paradigm shift in the way we think about drugs.

Paul O'Mahony provides a comprehensive, critical analysis of the drugs problem in Ireland with a particular focus on the role of drugs in crime and the role of prohibition in generating drug-related harms.