Drug use and abuse: a comprehensive introduction

Howard Abadinsky is a Professor of Criminal Justice at St. John's University. He was born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, and spent 22 years in Chicago. Dr. Abadinsky graduated from Queens College with a B.A. in political science, Fordham University with an M.S.W., and New York University with a Ph.D. in sociology. He was a N.Y. State parole officer and senior parole officer for 15 years and a deputy sheriff/inspector for the Cook County (Chicago) Sheriff's Office for 8 years. Founder of the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime (headquartered at John Jay College), his interest in organized crime began as the result of being assigned to the Red Hook section of Brooklyn when that waterfront area was the scene of a bloody conflict between two factions of an American Mafia Family. Dr. Abadinsky served as a consultant to the President's (Ronald Reagan) Commission on Organized Crime and is an expert witness in criminal organization cases.