Risk factors associated with drug use: the importance of ‘risk environment’

We note that it is not new to emphasize drug use as a social activity, involving social interactions within particular social environments, but that, despite this, the balance of focus in research tends towards ‘extra-environmental’ or ‘individualistic’ interpretations. We emphasize that future research is best oriented towards generating data of practical value for the development of interventions rather than attempting to delineate causative factors. The failure of most risk factors research rests in its incapacity to capture the variety of social and environmental influences on drug use, and the relevance of these for developing socially appropriate interventions.