AbstractThe use of stimulants for recreation purposes has increased considerably during the 20th century. Cocaine was first considered to be a drug of potential abuse during the First World War but was only perceived as a serious threat when it became widely used in socially and economically 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 minority of recreational users. Controls were then introduced in most developed 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 beneficial use.