title: [What to do? The Ontario government and the illegal recreational use of drugs, 1966-1972].
abstract: This paper deals with the social construction of illegal drug use in the context of the counterculture movement. It looks at the actions and reactions of three groups in particular: the Ontario government, the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario and citizens. It demonstrates that the debate about drug use took place in particular circumstances characterized by ignorance about the health consequences of illegal drug use but also within a moral panic context. Medical expertise was solicited to provide guidance to the Ontario government but it was gradually challenged by other medical groups and citizens who, by sending letters to their Provincial Premier and the Minister of Health, tried to shape public policy.
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D006076:Government / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000266:history*; D011634:Public Health / Q000266:history*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000266:history*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs
vernacular_title: Que faire? Le gouvernement Ontarien et la consommation des drogues à des fins récréatives, 1966-1972.