Author Description

This book comprises accounts of historical and contemporary drug policy in Australia, the UK and the Netherlands. The lives of women drug consumers are described in their own words. Their experiences living in three cities with different drug policies, Sydney, London and Amsterdam, are compared and the work of drug agencies is reviewed. Women are seen as different from men in consumption patterns, in their perceptions of the durg scene, in problems with drugs and needs in overcoming these problems. The differences are located in women's position in the social structure of economic and gender relations, and in social practices used to teach women to be second class citizens. These relations and practices are more intense in the drug and sex industries, which are seen as associated with men's capitalist interests, and with masculinization through power and violence. Present policies of law enforcement and treatment perpetuate women's status. Through feminist theory, policy and practice law and drug policy could transform the drug scene in order that using without harm becomes possible for those who choose. Strategies should include resources to give women opportunities for empowerment and healing both in their individual lives and in society.