Human Enhancement Drugs

Offering an in-depth, multidisciplinary exploration of drugs used to enhance the structure and function of muscle, weight loss, the appearance of the skin and hair, sexual function and behaviour, cognitive function, and mood and social behaviour, this book builds on the first volume by investigating the categorising of these drugs, new populations, emerging issues and harm reduction strategies, advancing the global understanding of human enhancement.

This volume provides fresh insights into sports doping as well as under-researched areas, offering practical and theoretical knowledge for academics, practitioners and policymakers. Key features include a global perspective, contributions from leading experts, and coverage of novel topics such as microdosing, rural drug use and sexualised drug use. By bridging theory and practice, the book equips readers with the knowledge and tools to address the complexities of HED use, including harm reduction and policy challenges.

Human Enhancement Drugs: Volume Two is designed for academics, students (undergraduate and postgraduate), health professionals and anti-doping officials. This book is ideal for public health, sports science, criminology, sociology and law modules, among others. Its interdisciplinary and practice-based approach ensures relevance across diverse educational and professional settings.

About the Editors

Katinka van de Ven is Principal Consultant at 360Edge and a Research Manager at Hello Sunday Morning. She is also a Visiting Fellow as part of the Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), UNSW. Katinka is the Editor-in-Chief of Performance Enhancement & Health and the Founder/Director of the Human Enhancement Drugs Network (HEDN).

Kyle J. D. Mulrooney is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Co-Director of the Centre for Rural Criminology at the University of New England (AU). His research spans diverse areas, including the fields of rural criminology, the sociology of punishment and drug policy, and topics such as crime prevention, policing and enhancement drugs, united by a commitment to understand how social, cultural, and geographic contexts influence the regulation of behaviour and the shaping of justice.

Jim McVeigh holds the post of Evidence in Policy and Practice Lead at Change, Grow, Live (a leading United Kingdom drug treatment and support charity). Prior to this he was Professor in Substance Use and Associated Behaviours in the Department of Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he retains emeritus professor status. Until 2020 he was the Director of the Public Health Institute at Liverpool John Moores University. He has worked within health/public health for nearly 40 years, qualifying as a Registered General Nurse in 1990 and then working with people who inject drugs, before moving into academia. Jim has built an international reputation within the field of substance use, in particular the use of anabolic steroids and associated human enhancement drug use. He has published extensively on the topic and presented at many influential international conferences. He has contributed to UK National Drug Strategies and advised on legislation and health policy and practice.