Robert E. Popham

Over the last decade the world has experienced a growing interest in problems associated with the nonmedical use of drugs. This interest has corresponded to a real growth in the extent, diversity, and social impact of the use of alcohol and drugs in many societies. As a result, the amount of research and writing on the subject of drug problems has greatly increased, and it has become very difficult for one individual to keep up with all the relevant literature. There is thus an acute need in the field for critical reviews that assess current developments, and the present series is intended to fill this need. The series is not to be an "annual review" in the usual sense. The aim is not to cover all the work reported during the preceding year in relation to a fixed selection of topics. Rather, it is to present each year evaluative papers on topics in which enough recent progress has been made to alter the general scope in a particular area. Owing to the multidisciplinary nature of problems of drug use and dependence, the papers published in each volume will be drawn from several disciplines. However, some volumes may be devoted to one partic­ ular problem, with individual reviews and papers examining various aspects of it. The composition of the editorial board and the international advisory board reflects these objectives. The editors are members of the senior scientific staff of the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario.

The year 1961 marked the beginning of the second decade of operation of the Alcoholism Research Foundation of Ontario. It also marked the end, in certain respects, of a stage in its development as a research organization. The most concrete event in this regard was an amendment to the act governing the Foundation, which added the words 'Drug Addiction' to its name and broadened its legitimate scope to include the study of virtually all forms of addictive behaviour. The year appeared to mark the end of a formative and largely exploratory stage of research and the beginning of a period characterized by a more precise sense of overall direction. This is best revealed through an examination of the history of the Foundation's research endeavour and of the character and results of the numerous projects which have been conducted under its auspices. Such an examination was attempted in the research section of the 1961 Annual Report of the Foundation. However, because of the special purpose and highly restricted readership for which this report was designed, it seemed desirable to publish the material subsequently in a form suitable for wider distribution. Accordingly, the present volume was prepared, and comprises a somewhat revised and expanded version of the original review. It is hoped that it will prove of value not only to research workers but also to those whose primary responsibilities in the alcoholism field are in the realm of treatment, education, or the administration of programs with these functions.