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Editors' Introduction:
(40th Anniversary Edition -
September 2008)
David E. Smith, M.D.
Terry Chambers, B.A.
Richard B. Seymour, M.A.
With this issue, the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
celebrates its fortieth edition. In looking back at articles
in the first few editions (some of which is posted on our
website at www.hajpd.com with commentary by Dr. Smith) one
can see clear differences but many similarities. As the
first journal in the United States to address issues
concerning drugs and drug abuse, the Journal of Psychedelic
Drugs (the Journal’s previous name) was the product of its
time and place (Haight Ashbury in the 1960s). The initial
focus on psychedelic drugs very quickly moved on to other
drugs appearing on that scene and over the years has grown
into a wide-ranging interest in the seemingly endless
variety of drugs that have become available to their
consumers. The intent of the Journal has not changed: to
provide honest and straightforward information about drugs
to those who need to know more, whether they are
researchers, those concerned about drug users, or concerned
drug users.
One thing that has changed is the range of countries from
which these articles originate. Included in this issue are
(1) an article from South Africa on heroin users in Cape
Town; (2) an article from Brazil studying how journalists
there deal with reporting on drug issues; (3) one from
Australia on a program for helping young substance abusers,
their families and siblings deal with the abuser’s (and thus
the families’) problems; (4) another article from Australia
outlining traditional use of Banisteriopsis caapi among
indigenous Venezuelans; and (5) an article from Iran
surveying substance abuse among medical patients in Shiraz.
Another change is in the drugs being studied. In 1967, MDMA
was not well known. The Journal provided one of the first
comprehensive looks at this emerging drug with an issue
dedicated to MDMA that came out in December of 1986. In the
present issue there are several articles devoted to MDMA. A
study from Spain describes MDMA-assisted psychotherapy using
low doses in a sample of women with chronic posttraumatic
stress disorder. The research project was unfortunately shut
down by the Spanish government before completion, but the
study nevertheless provides compelling reading. An article
from the US examines young adult Ecstasy users and their sex
habits—and AIDS risks.
Also addressed are the risks involved with the use of gamma
hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which was also little known in the
1960s. Another short article discusses the characteristics
of betel products and their availability in the US (another
nonissue in the 1960s).
Finally, there is a review of information currently
available (some of it the latest information that science
can provide) on drug craving—an issue that crosses most
national and topical boundaries. An article providing a
statistical analysis of data addressing cancer risks of
marijuana versus tobacco smoking returns to one of the drugs
discussed in the earliest journals.
For many years, the Journal followed a particular
educational format. First a conference was held at UCSF that
addressed a particular drug—whether it was LSD, marijuana,
methamphetamine, heroin or MDMA. A multidisciplinary forum
of leading clinicians and scientists was convened and papers
were presented that were later published in the Journal to
provide a broad dissemination of this important information.
In many cases, the Journal provided the earliest and most
comprehensive review of new drugs and drug trends, including
the upper-downer cycle and associated polydrug abuse and
dual diagnosis issues. It also provided a forum for the
integration of treatment modalities such as methadone
maintenance in therapeutic communities. As a result of this
cutting edge information, the Journal is now studied around
the world and has a disproportionate impact relative to its
circulation. The Internet has greatly enhanced its impact.
The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs continues to cover a wide
range of topics in a variety of formats. It spans an
extended period of time. There is something to be learned
from indigenous societies who use drugs only within the
rituals and rules of their society, and have been for
centuries. There is also much to be learned from the
up-to-the-minute and ever-increasing store of information
available from science on how drugs affect the brain. The
Journal’s reach also spans the length of the world itself:
it is truer today than ever that a drug problem in a far
away country may be a problem in your country tomorrow.
So please join us in celebrating the Journal’s fortieth
birthday and in hoping that it continues for many more
years.
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