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Recreational Drugs wide edit

As well as harms, however, recreational drugs have perceived benefits, otherwise they would not be used. There are a variety of historical and emerging beneficial uses of various compounds that are illicit substances; for example, cannabis, once used as a sedative and anti-convulsant in the UK and US (Walton, 1938), has recently been explored in its organic form and components as an analgesic, anti-emetic and appetite stimulant. Renewed efforts have also been made to demonstrate the efficacy of illicit drugs as adjuncts to psychotherapy, either as psycholytics or psychedelics, with promising results (see Sessa, 2005 for a review). For example, in two small studies, MDMA has been found to be effective as an adjunct to exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and therapy-resistant anxiety disorders (Johansen and Krebs, 2009; Mithoefer, 2006; Sessa, 2007). In addiction treatment with a single dose of LSD, in the context of alcohol treatment programmes in the 1960s and 1970s, is associated with a decrease in alcohol misuse (Krebs and Johansen, 2012), whilst ketamine has improved rates of abstinence in the treatment of heroin addicts (Krupitsky et al., 2002).

A wide literature has detailed the benefits of recreational drugs to users (e.g. Griffiths et al., 2006, 2008, 2011; Móró and Noreika, 2011; Müller and Schumann, 2011; Tart 1971). However, only two studies to date have compared the potential benefits of illicit drugs to the harms (Carhart-Harris and Nutt, 2010; Morgan et al., 2010b). The latter assessed the perceived acute and long-term benefits of 21 substances in over 1500 drug users whilst the former compared the benefits of four types of substances in 626 users. Users presumably make a complex cost/benefit judgement when taking recreational drugs. Understanding both the harms and benefits of taking drugs for users is important for the uptake of health education, and therefore it is important to collect accurate and up-to-date data on regular users’ perspectives of the benefits of taking drugs.

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4.211/170 Happy man tokes on a joint during Reclaim the Streets, Shepherds Bush, 1996.
4.211/170 Happy man tokes on a joint during Reclaim the Streets, Shepherds Bush, 1996.
02050104-31
02050104-31
YA87/9x
YA87/9x
dig030924-6308
dig030924-6308
4.211/571
4.211/571
4.211-566 Young woman smoking cannabis joint in Hyde Park. Model released.
4.211-566 Young woman smoking cannabis joint in Hyde Park. Model released.
YZ93/26
YZ93/26
4.21-303 Armoured sharps bin at Bethnal Green rail station, situated in a dark back street frequented by prostitutes and drug...
4.21-303 Armoured sharps bin at Bethnal Green rail station, situated in a dark back street frequented by prostitutes and drug addicts.
4.21/297
4.21/297
4.211-553 Young man relaxing with a joint (cannabis cigarette) in Hyde park, London.
4.211-553 Young man relaxing with a joint (cannabis cigarette) in Hyde park, London.
Teenagers drinking alcopops & smoking cannabis.
Teenagers drinking alcopops & smoking cannabis.
Teenagers from Dave Adams house, a childrens' home in Tower Hamlets drinking alcopops & smoking cannabis.
Teenagers from Dave Adams house, a childrens' home in Tower Hamlets drinking alcopops & smoking cannabis.
dig030924-6162
dig030924-6162
030531-0103 A range of over the counter solvents, glues & gases popular for drug abuse.
030531-0103 A range of over the counter solvents, glues & gases popular for drug abuse.
YZ91/16 One gram of Ketamine in single shot nasal dispenser.
YZ91/16 One gram of Ketamine in single shot nasal dispenser.
YA87/18 Young woman snorting (sniffing) cocaine powder.
YA87/18 Young woman snorting (sniffing) cocaine powder.
4.213/8 Sniffing cocaine powder through a rolled up bank note.
4.213/8 Sniffing cocaine powder through a rolled up bank note.
smoking pipe of hash
smoking pipe of hash
4.213.23 Using a drink can to smoke crack cocaine.
4.213.23 Using a drink can to smoke crack cocaine.
4.213/15 Using a spoon to smoke crack cocaine.
4.213/15 Using a spoon to smoke crack cocaine.
Rohypnol tablets. Strong sedative & widely known as a 'date rape' drug.
Rohypnol tablets. Strong sedative & widely known as a 'date rape' drug.
4.21/161 Capsules of Prozac.
4.21/161 Capsules of Prozac.
4.21/183 A single capsule of Prozac.
4.21/183 A single capsule of Prozac.
030531-0223 Bottle of poppers.
030531-0223 Bottle of poppers.
030531-0223 Bottle of poppers.
030531-0223 Bottle of poppers.
dig030924-6233 PMA a drug of abuse similar to ecstasy popular in the USA made in illegal laboratories & widely distributed.
dig030924-6233 PMA a drug of abuse similar to ecstasy popular in the USA made in illegal laboratories & widely distributed.
4.211/542
4.211/542
4.211/550
4.211/550
4.211/552
4.211/552
dig030924-6304
dig030924-6304
4.21/367 Over the counter drugs - painkillers, 1999.
4.21/367 Over the counter drugs - painkillers, 1999.
4.212/22 Police sergeant holding back the crowd at a street festival.
4.212/22 Police sergeant holding back the crowd at a street festival.
4.21/96 A microdot tablet of LSD (acid, trips).
4.21/96 A microdot tablet of LSD (acid, trips).
dig030924-6242 Methadone, an opiate narcotic syrup prescribed to heroin addicts.
dig030924-6242 Methadone, an opiate narcotic syrup prescribed to heroin addicts.
4.21/141 A flowering head of a female marijuana (cannabis sativa) plant.
4.21/141 A flowering head of a female marijuana (cannabis sativa) plant.
A flowering head of a female marijuana plant.
A flowering head of a female marijuana plant.
4.211/538 Young man smoking hash in specially made stainless steel travelling pipe. Hyde Park, London.
4.211/538 Young man smoking hash in specially made stainless steel travelling pipe. Hyde Park, London.
4.21/79 Dried magic mushrooms (psilocybe, Liberty Caps).
4.21/79 Dried magic mushrooms (psilocybe, Liberty Caps).
_DSC3436 Stall selling "Magic Mushrooms" (psilocybe) on the street in Covent Garden, London.
_DSC3436 Stall selling "Magic Mushrooms" (psilocybe) on the street in Covent Garden, London.
Newly wed gay couple take a quick snort of cocaine in the bogs
Newly wed gay couple take a quick snort of cocaine in the bogs
00041703-29 Line of Coke in Bog 2
00041703-29 Line of Coke in Bog 2
dig030924-x010 One gram of Ketamine in single shot nasal dispenser.
dig030924-x010 One gram of Ketamine in single shot nasal dispenser.
dig030924-6202 Pharmaceutical ketamine for injection
dig030924-6202 Pharmaceutical ketamine for injection
4.21/12 Drug addict injecting in the street in Pontevedra, Spain.
4.21/12 Drug addict injecting in the street in Pontevedra, Spain.
YZ28/17a Body builder injecting anabolic steroids.
YZ28/17a Body builder injecting anabolic steroids.
L42/1 Robin Lepage (centre) fishing for a vein among the abscesses to inject heroin
L42/1 Robin Lepage (centre) fishing for a vein among the abscesses to inject heroin
4.212/3 Loz Lawson injecting heroin ten years before his death from AIDS.
4.212/3 Loz Lawson injecting heroin ten years before his death from AIDS.
L42/10 Heroin addicts in disused church.
L42/10 Heroin addicts in disused church.
00012103-22 Methadone addict drinks from a small bottle containing a single dose.
00012103-22 Methadone addict drinks from a small bottle containing a single dose.
L54/37 Ampoule of injectable heroin.
L54/37 Ampoule of injectable heroin.
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