当今，毒品已经成为影响人们生活和社会稳定的一颗毒瘤，它不但阻碍着国家经济发展和社会进步，而且严重威胁着民族的可持续发展和人民的健康以及社会的和谐与稳定。特别是近十多年来，随着新型毒品的出现、扩散和严重泛滥，吸毒人群不断增多。今后很长一个时期，国际毒潮泛滥的严重局面不会迅速扭转，国内毒品发展、蔓延的态势也不会得到根本性的改变，各种有关吸毒、贩毒等违法犯罪现象会持续增长，我国的禁毒任务将更加艰巨和繁重，远离毒品、共建和谐任重而道远。
正是基于当前毒品问题的严峻形势，在云南大学出版社和国际人口服务组织（美国云南办事处）的支持及鼓励下，由云南警官学院组织相关人员编写了《生命与安全：毒品预防教育读本》供广大读者学习使用。
《生命与安全：毒品预防教育读本》在编撰过程中，力求突出四大特点：第一，短小精悍。《生命与安全：毒品预防教育读本》只涉及毒品问题，简洁明了；第二，通俗易懂。《生命与安全：毒品预防教育读本》没有过多的理论表述，列举了大量的实例供读者参考，符合大众读者的阅读习惯；第三，资料最新。《生命与安全：毒品预防教育读本》编撰于2011年6月26日颁布实施的《戒毒条例》之后，编写中所涉及法律条文全为最新，同时引用各项数据也是最新的；第四，图文并茂。《生命与安全：毒品预防教育读本》选取了大量毒品问题中有代表性的图片对文字进行了佐证。（Nowadays drugs have become poisonous to people's lives and social stability. It hinders the country's economic development and social progress, and threatens seriously the sustainable development of the nation, the health of the population as well as the harmony and stability of society.In the past decade, with the emergence, transmission and unchecked abuse of new drugs, the number of drugsters continues to rise.In a long time the international situation of drug abuse will not easily abate, and the momentum of drug development and spread will not easily be arrested. Many crimes related to drug taking and trafficking will go on rising, making Chinese drug control even more challenging. The task of staying away from drugs and building a harmonious society have a long way to go.
In response to the gravity of the drug issues, and with the support of Yunnan University Press and Population Services International (Yunnan Branch of America), Yunnan Police Officer Academy organizes staff to edit and write the Life and Safety:Manual of Drug Prevention Education for readers to consult.
Life and Safety:Manual of Drug Prevention Education stresses four features:First, short and pithy.Life and Safety:The book focus on drug issues only, without any irrelevant information; second, accessible.Life and Safety:The book refrains from too much theorization and lists many cases for readers to study, which is user friendly; third, latest materials.Life and Safety:The book was edited after the Drug Regulations of PRC which took effect on June 26, 2011. All the laws and regulations mentioned are the latest, so are all the data; fourth, illustrated.Life and Safety:The book selects a large amount of representative images related to drug issues to support the argument.）