Prevalence and demographic factors of stimulant use.
The use of stimulants for recreation purposes has increased considerably during the 20th century. Cocaine was first considered to be a drug of potential abuse during the First World War but was only perceived as a serious threat when it became widely used in socially and economically deprived urban areas of the USA in the 1980s. Use of amphetamines was common among certain occupational groups as a means of remaining alert until the 1950s, when they were seen to be abused by a small minority of recreational users. Controls were then introduced in most developed countries. The public health issue of stimulant use is that of finding a balance between the prevention of serious social or personal harm caused by abuse of these drugs while not impeding their beneficial use.
Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London, UK.
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000662:Amphetamines / Q000009:adverse effects; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D000662:Amphetamines; D003042:Cocaine