Drugs, Behaviour, and Modern Society, Canadian Edition, 2nd edition

Published by Pearson Canada (April 15, 2021) © 2022
  • Charles F. Levinthal
  • Trevor Hamilton

Title overview

For courses in Drugs and Behavior.

In today's world, drugs and their use have the potential for good and for bad. As a society and as individuals, we can be the beneficiaries of drugs - or their victims. This perspective is the message of Drugs, Behaviour, and Modern Society. This text introduces the basic facts and major issues concerning drug-taking behaviour in a straightforward, comprehensive, and reader-friendly manner. A background in biology, sociology, psychology, or chemistry is not necessary. The only requirement is a sense of curiosity about the range of chemical substances that affect our minds and our bodies and an interest in the challenges these substances bring to our society and our daily lives.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Portraits. Thirteen Portrait features take you into the lives of individuals who either have influenced our thinking about drugs in our society or have been affected by drug use or abuse. Some of these people are known to the public, but many are not. All the Portraits put a human face on discussions of drugs and behaviour. They remind us that we are dealing with issues that affect real people in all walks of life, now and in the past.
  • Drugs . . . in Focus There are many fascinating stories to tell about the role of drugs in our history and our pre-sent-day culture, along with important facts and serious issues surrounding drug use. Drugs . . . in Focus features are presented throughout the second Canadian edition. The topics of these features cover a wide range, from questions about how many famous entertainers died from drugs.
  • By the Numbers. At the beginning of most chapters, a feature called By the Numbers . . . provides an often surprising and provocative insight into current viewpoints and research. It is presented in a brief, quantitative format that draws you into the chapter and sets the stage for further exploration. These boxes have been updated into Current Events bulletins for the eText version of the second Canadian edition so that we can update them as new research and statistics are released. 

New and updated features of this title

  • As the world shifts to a greater reliance on digital media, it is appropriate that this text evolves as well. This second edition is the first fully digital version of Drugs, Behaviour & Modern Society. Instructors and students will find that, although the medium has changed, the content is fully consistent with prior editions.
  • Health Line. Helpful information regarding the effectiveness and safety aspects of particular drugs, specific aspects of drug-taking behaviour, and new medical applications can be found in many Health Line features throughout the text. 

Key features

Important Digital Assets in Pearson eText

  • 2023 updates added to the following topics: Drugs and Behaviour Today; The Major Stimulants: Cocaine and Amphetamines; Opioids: Opium, Heroin, and Opioid Pain Medications; Marijuana; Alcohol; Prescription Drugs, Over-the-Counter Drugs, and Natural Health Products; Drugs for Treating Schizophrenia, Mood, and Other Disorders; and Substance Abuse Treatment. 
  • New topics for 2023 include Opioid Health Crisis and Decriminalization; Hallucinogens as Medicine?; Terpenes in Cannabis and Their Impact on the Brain; and Canadians, It's Time to Cut Back on Drinking Alcohol: New Guidelines from the CCSA.

Table of contents

  1. Drugs and Behaviour Today
  2. Drug-Taking Behaviour: Personal and Social Issues
  3. How Drugs Work in the Body and on the Mind
  4. The Major Stimulants: Cocaine and Amphetamines
  5. Opioids: Opium, Heroin, and Opioid Pain Medications
  6. LSD and Other Hallucinogens
  7. Marijuana
  8. Alcohol: Social Beverage/Social Drug
  9. Chronic Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  10. Nicotine and Tobacco Use
  11. Caffeine
  12. Performance-Enhancing Drugs and Drug Testing in Sports
  13. Depressants and Inhalants
  14. Prescription Drugs, Over-the-Counter Drugs, and Natural Health Products
  15. Drugs for Treating Schizophrenia and Mood Disorders
  16. Substance Abuse Prevention
  17. Substance Abuse Treatment: Strategies for Change

Author bios

Dr. Charles Levinthal has written numerous books, including Introduction to Physiological Psychology (Prentice-Hall, 1979, 1983, 1990); Messengers of Paradise: Opiates and the Brain (Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1988); Point/Counterpoint: Opposing Perspectives on Issues of Drug Policy (Allyn and Bacon, 2003); Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society (Allyn and Bacon, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008; Pearson Education, 2010, 2012, 2014); Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice (Pearson Education, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2016); and Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice, 5th Edition with Lori Brusman-Lovins (Pearson Education, 2020). He served on the Faculty in the Department of Psychology at Hofstra University from 1971 to 2014 and as Department Chair from 2005 to 2013. His undergraduate and graduate teaching included courses in Biopsychology, Neural Bases of Behavior, Cognition and Perception, Drugs and Behavior, Statistics, and Research Methods. His journal articles and edited book publications have centered on areas of conditioning and learning, substance abuse and misuse, cognitive decision-making and risk theory, and reading disabilities and assessment. Among other honors, Dr. Levinthal was elected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in 2010. 

Dr. Trevor J. Hamilton 

Dr. Hamilton is a faculty member in the department of Psychology, is an adjunct at the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (University of Alberta), and a visiting scholar at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California San Diego).  He received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from McGill University.  He teaches a variety of courses including, Applied Neuropharmacology and Brain and Behaviour.  He has supervised many honours and independent study students on projects related to zebrafish and cichlid learning, memory, and anxiety.

Dr. Hamilton is also actively researching a variety of topics both in the zebrafish laboratory at MacEwan and in collaboration with other institutes.  At the zebrafish laboratory, his students have been examining the effect of elevated carbon dioxide (projected for the future) on zebrafish movement, memory, and anxiety.  Other research includes establishing novel and reliable tests of learning and memory in fish; namely the novel object recognition test and episodic-like memory tests.  A third area of interest is the effect of pharmacological substances on fish behaviour.  In the past his students have examined patterns of drug administration and the nature of addiction.


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