"The Nature of Drugs: History, Pharmacology, and Social Impact, Volume I, was transcribed from the original lecture tapes recorded at SFSU in 1987. Ostensibly taught as an introductory course on drugs and biochemistry, this transcription is a unique document being both a historical record of Sasha's teaching style and the culmination in many ways of his philosophy on drugs, psychopharmacology, states of consciousness, and societal and individual freedoms pertaining to their use, both medicinal and exploratory. The Nature of Drugs is the story of humanity's relationship with psychoactive substances from the perspective of a master psychopharmacologist and will enthrall anyone intrigued by this subject. The Nature of Drugs Presentation The course will be published in two volumes. Volume I presents Shulgin's view on the origin of drugs, the history of U.S. drug law enforcement, human anatomy, the nervous system, the range of drug administrations, varieties of drug actions, memory and states of consciousness, and research methods. The discussions in Volume I lay the groundwork for Sasha's philosophy on psychopharmacology and society, what defines a drug, the nature of a person's relationship with a given compound, and for extensive examinations of dozens of compounds in Volume II"--