PREVALENCE AND DEMOGRAPHIC-FACTORS OF STIMULANT USE

The use of stimulants for recreation purposes has increased considerab ly during the 20th century. Cocaine was first considered to be a drug of potential abuse during the First World War but was only perceived a s a serious threat when it became widely used in socially and economic ally deprived urban areas of the USA in the 1980s. Use of amphetamines was common among certain occupational groups as a means of remaining alert until the 1950s, when they were seen to be abused by a small min ority of recreational users. Controls were then introduced in most dev eloped countries. The public health issue of stimulant use is that of finding a balance between the prevention of serious social or personal harm caused by abuse of these drugs while not impeding their benefici al use.