DRUGS IN SOCIETY

In the ``Issues of Our Time'' series, a succinct, intelligent overview of the distant and recent history of drug abuse, the appeal and impact of drugs in contemporary society, the ``War on Drugs,'' and different approaches to the problems they create. Salak quotes a lot of statistics, mentioning their various sources and giving frequent warnings about the extent to which they are conjectural and why. Captions, charts (drug use among US high school students, 1975-91), and boxed essays (Timothy Leary; Marion Barry; Pablo Escobar) amplify the information, while relevant color photos make this a more inviting offering than many on the subject. The provocative subtitle is a good question, but it's never addressed. Brief glossary; ``Further Reading''; ``Source Notes'' (up-to-date articles in popular news magazines, Reader's Digest, Rolling Stone, etc., plus a few books); index. (Nonfiction. 10-14)