title: The pharmacology of drug abuse--a novel approach to drug education at San Quentin.
abstract: A novel and successful undergraduate-level course in pharmacology has been established as part of the drug education program at California's San Quentin State Prison. The program was designed to create a two-way teaching--learning experience between former drug abusers and their teachers, all of whom were doctoral candidates and post-doctoral scholars in pharmacology at a nearby university medical center. In reviewing the pharmacology of psychoactive drugs, the emphasis was on the principles of drug action in the central nervous system, with additional attention to those factors that contribute a potential for abuse. An attempt was made to present information in a strictly objective and non-prejudical manner. An initial analysis has shown a possible change in attitude among the student-inmates toward drugs of abuse. It is likely that courses following a similar design would be well received and successful in any type of undergraduate program that addresses the subject of drug abuse.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002140:California; D003479:Curriculum; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005178:Faculty; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010600:Pharmacology / Q000193:education*; D011329:Prisoners; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000193:education*; D013664:Teaching Materials