"Matters of Substance presents a radical and lucid approach to the much-debated question of drug control. Arguing for a consideration of all drugs - from valium to crack cocaine - as more than the sum of their chemical structure, Griffith Edwards expands the idea that the effect of a drug is just as dependent on the social setting, historical legacy and psychology of the individual as it is on any inherent quality of the drug." "Exploring attitudes and control of drugs across the world - from the social use of khat in the Yemen to curbs on smoking in the bars of New York - Matters of Substance places our various uses and abuses of drugs in the web of ideas we hold about personal freedom, the right to pleasure, the responsibilities of government and the impact of globalization. This book will inform and enlighten all future debates on drugs in society."--BOOK JACKET.