Amazon.com
Illicit activities are exploding worldwide. The onslaught of globalization has unleashed a tidal wave of bad stuff--everything from arms trafficking, human smuggling, and money laundering to music bootlegging. Here is the dark side of globalization: the mushrooming underground economy. Moisés Naím explores this murky world in his book Illicit. Naím is the editor of the relaunched magazine Foreign Policy and a former executive director of the World Bank and Minister of Trade and Industry of Venezuela. In Illicit, he unties the connections between the Colombian cocaine dealer, the New York banker steering money to offshore tax havens, the Albanian forcing women into prostitution, and the Chinese market stall-holder selling counterfeit DVDs.
Naím reports that legitimate global trade has doubled since 1990 from $5 to $10 trillion. Meanwhile, money laundering has gone up tenfold, exceeding $1 trillion a year. Smuggling and money laundering have always existed, but Naím shows how they have increased at a staggering pace in the wake of globalization, despite new government controls since 9/11. The main culprits are the collapse of the Iron Curtain and state deregulation. As the reach of organized crime has expanded, governments have failed to keep up. Naím illustrates the problems with stories about A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb who sold nuclear technology to North Korea and Libya; Walter C. Anderson, an American who was accused of hiding $450 million in offshore accounts to evade taxes; and Vladimir Montesinos, the Peruvian intelligence czar who is on trial for trafficking drugs and arms. The book, while a little dry, will be interesting to policy buffs and aspiring crooks alike. --Alex Roslin
Book Description
A groundbreaking investigation of how illicit commerce is changing the world by transforming economies, reshaping politics, and capturing governments.
In this fascinating and comprehensive examination of the underside of globalization, Moises Naím illuminates the struggle between traffickers and the hamstrung bureaucracies trying to control them. From illegal migrants to drugs to weapons to laundered money to counterfeit goods, the black market produces enormous profits that are reinvested to create new businesses, enable terrorists, and even to take over governments. Naím reveals the inner workings of these amazingly efficient international organizations and shows why it is so hard — and so necessary to contain them. Riveting and deeply informed, Illicit will change how you see the world around you.
Customer Reviews:
TheDon.......2007-07-16
Interesting, but presents very little information that is not already widely known. The author's recurring "everybody-does-it" theme seems to reject the possibility that some cultures are much more prone than others to problematic levels of illicit activity.
Any college-level holding strong in international studies, from business to social issues, must have this........2007-02-09
Unlawful commerce is changing world economies, influencing international politics, and even undermining some of the foundations of society: this is the argument of ILLICIT: HOW SMUGGLERS, TRAFFICKERS, ARE HIJACKING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. It's an essential discussion for modern times, surveying the links between seemingly-small illicit users around the world and how globalization is affected by their actions. Any college-level holding strong in international studies, from business to social issues, must have this.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
No Footnotes.......2006-09-22
I'm about a third of the way through the book; very provocative so far. Unfortunately, my copy has no footnotes. The notes are at the end of the chapters as you'd expect, but the numbers they reference are not in the text. Tends to complicate a serious academic reading.
A riposte to free market cheerleaders.......2006-06-10
"Illicit" by Moises Naim is a good primer on the underground economy. Mr. Naim's experience as an Editor at Foreign Policy magazine appears to have helped the author hone his skills at synthesizing an impressive quantity of third-party research to support his thesis. It is also evident that Mr. Naim's discussions with numerous high-level personal and professional contacts around the world have helped him reflect on the topic at length, leading him to offer many pages of thoughtful critique and analysis. The end result is a balanced and nuanced book that makes a valuable contribution to our understanding about an increasingly urgent and worrisome problem.
Some might also read Mr. Naim's description of how globalization empowers illicit trade as a riposte to free market cheerleaders such as Thomas Friedman, who tend to equate entrepreneurship with utopianism. To the contrary, we find that many counterfeiters and traffickers are highly skilled and creative people who excel at exploiting decentralized and flexible underground marketing, sales and production networks for personal gain but at great expense to our collective peace and security. According to Mr. Naim, "profits...was the name of the game" for nuclear weapons traders such as A.Q. Khan, and it is on this basis that the struggle to curtail illict trade must be based.
Given that governments around the world are currently losing this struggle, Mr. Naim argues for a strategy of harm reduction including the removal of the artificial barriers that create myriad profit opportunities for criminals. For example, this might include the decriminalization of marijuana. The author reasons that law enforcement could better focus on much more dangerous activities and on enforcing the laws in more readily attainable ways, such as prosecuting major drug dealers and the employers of illegal aliens. I found Mr. Naim's recommendations to be refreshingly commonsensical when compared with the more politically expedient but ineffective supply-side fixes that are proposed by far too many policymakers today.
Regrettably, Mr. Naim fails to take the book to a deeper level of analysis by making a stronger connection between neoliberal ideology, democracy and illicit trade. To be sure, Mr. Naim highlights the fact that some places on our planet have become anarchic, controlled by criminal gangs of all sorts whose economic power has allowed them to buy off their local governments (if they exist at all). However, he does not acknowledge the fairly obvious fact that illicit trade might represent precisely what neoliberalism desires: pure capitalism without the restraining influence of government. Might his recommendations have been made stronger by insisting on ways to achieve meaningful social and environmental justice through radical democratic reforms, rather than plugging holes in an already far too leaky and decrepit system of global neoliberal governance?
Setting aside this reasonable difference in opinion, I found this book to be an engagingly interesting and informative read. I highly recommend it to all.
Same Business Savy/Muscle As Wal-Mart.......2006-05-20
"In todays labyrinthine routings of contraband across multiple contients, front companies are easy to set up, dozens in order to blur one's trace. As a result intermediaries in international commerce of illicit products, services , & humans have increased their profile and their profits. It is the brokers who control today's illicit markets, set the deals, & make the big money".This is a small snipet of the market place. The markets are just markets/ legal or illegal. Governments decide the righteousness of them. In other words: what is in a true market: cent$, can now be dollar$. It is the magic of a legalized highway robbery called the stroke a pen. Of course its a no brainer that governmemnts are getting greased to hell and back. Through corporate(legal/illegal) sugar daddys or just down and dity in your face corruption. It has penetrated deeply into the private sector, politics, and governments of today. It is penetrating markets deeper, plus horizontally and vertically, and in direct proportion to their profits that control crucial decisions within current national governments (U.S. included). In some cases the national interests are completely aligned with illegal profits. A must read for understanding the a whole picture the global economy. It is an entertaining and informative read. Welcome to globalization. And of course that is on either side of the border: because they own both sides!
Book Description
A true story of violence, drugs, human smuggling and dirty politicians along the Mexican/American border.
When he was 14, Lee Morgan learned to shoot a rifle from a young Marine who later became the "Texas Tower Sniper." Four years later, Lee was conducting CIA assassination missions in Vietnam. Then he spent the next 31 years on the U.S.-Mexico border as a federal agent, where the struggle against smugglers of drugs and starving human beings is as harrowing as anything Lee encountered in Vietnam.
The Reaper's Line is a non-fiction account of unparalleled official corruption, mass murders, gunfights, treason, betrayal, and government wrongdoing.
Customer Reviews:
Lee Morgan's Line.......2007-09-06
Reading this book is like having Lee Morgan II in your face. It's like listening to a monologue from some guy in a blue-collar bar. After two or three beers, he's throwing bottles and banging his fist on the table, and you're nodding and smiling and eyeing the door. Only you don't leave because you've just got to hear where the story's going.
This collection of war stories and rants from Morgan's years as a federal agent on the Mexican border is served up in the finest southern good ol' boy style. Redman is the chew to calm your nerves before the stuff hits the fan, and the stuff is said to hit the fan too many times to count. But if the raunchy style doesn't put you off, the book offers a unique inside look at our undeclared border war with Mexico and the people who are fighting it.
There is bitterness in this book, and it's no big surprise when Morgan reveals that he was forced into retirement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was "put out to pasture" for outspokenly opposing cooperation with the Border Patrol, which he claims is "one of the most corrupt law enforcement agencies in existence."
But it's not just his former bosses who are the targets of Morgan's wrath. He rails at the REMFs (Rear-Echelon so-and-so's) who deprive field agents of the weapons and equipment they need and impose asinine rules that hamstring field operations. He sneers at the cynicism of national politicians who certify the Mexican government as a partner in the war on drugs and require the border services to provide Mexican officials with the names of confidential informants in Mexico. But he reserves his heaviest artillery for the Mexican government, dope smugglers, human traffickers, corrupt agents, and redneck border vigilantes.
Morgan names names, accusing scores of people, including mayors, judges, governors, and presidents, of everything from ineptness to outright corruption. About the only people that escape his flames are migrant workers, with whom he sympathizes, and his fellow field agents - the honest ones, that is.
The war stories are mostly rip-roaring action tales. There are enough gun, knife, and fist fights, wild car chases and crashes to make a Steven Seagal movie. There are tortured bodies cropping up in shallow graves, psycho killers, smuggled AK-47's, booby-trapped tunnels, and buried explosives. Reader discretion advised: content might not be suitable for intellectuals and wimps.
Some of the stories dealing with migrant workers are sad. A few stories are eccentrically funny, like the time Morgan drew down on Jimmy Stewart with a shotgun, and then apologized in a self-mocking parody of a southern drawl. You get the feeling the stories are embellished to make good tales, but that's all right. That's how it is with war stories.
There are no maps in this book. Also, there are no footnotes, no list of sources, bibliograpy, index, photos, or acknowledgements. If you're looking for the kind of balanced, well-researched and documented reportage Bob Woodward or Mark Bowden would do, you won't find it here. What you got here is Lee Morgan, in your face, the man telling you how he sees it, banging on the table. You smile and nod and stay in your seat because you want to see where he's going with it.
A Great Read.......2007-06-08
What an incredible real life adventure story. I couldn't put it down.
told the way it happened.......2007-01-25
As a 19 year veteran of the Border Patrol, with my first 10 years in Douglas, AZ I can say for a fact that the book is completely true. I was there! For the Record I do know Mr. Morgan very well. These events actually happened, occasionaly I was involved also. Other reviewers may doubt the authencity I don't. As for putting the USBP in a bad light, maybe maybe not. We get what we deserve. I find no fault with Lee on this. He did not portray all BP agents as inept nor did he portray all Customs agents saintly. The truth is the truth.
Great Book
Scary Reading.......2007-01-14
I am retired from the California Department of Corrections and could write my own book about the flow of illegal aliens. I can attest that there are prison gangs that require that the potential member is illegal. As a nurse, I can also attest to where California Tax dollars are spent on illegals. I enjoyed the humourous and factual content. This book should be required reading for all law enforcement that will be dealing with the illegal alien problems.
Awesome Book!.......2007-01-11
Very real to life from a man who spent many years trying to make our country safe. He has very good and true notions about drugs and immigration. As a law enforcement officer, everything he says about the administration is true of every government agency. Seems the ones in the carpeted office who have never been there (or havent in so long they forgot how it was) can make all the decisions about what is best for you and how best to do your job. I admire the author for his many years of dedication and service, and the care and concern he shows for his "kids". Too bad that instead of being pushed out, he wasn't pushed up, could have made a world of difference for our future, our country, and our agents. I am sure that the REMF's see it as "sour grapes", but believe me, the attitude and beliefs are TRUE! Thank you Lee Morgan!
Customer Reviews:
(RAW Rating: 4.5) - What is happening to black men?.......2007-08-04
Demico Boothe has explored the reasons so many black men are indeed in prison in, WHY ARE SO MANY BLACK MEN IN PRISON? He begins with his own story of a shaky upbringing and his subsequent dabbling in drug dealing. He was caught with a few grams of crack cocaine but because it was the dreaded crack, he was given 10 years in prison. When he left prison after serving his time, he was actually railroaded back into prison by a crooked justice system. He delves deeply into our justice system and the motives behind all the new prisons that are being built. He gives succinct and reasonable views of exactly what is happening now in the United States and how the past has played a role in the present. He uses persuasive statistics regarding the number of black men in prison as compared to the number of white men who are incarcerated.
Demico Boothe has done an excellent job of researching his subject and it is a plus, if unfortunate for him, that he has actually experienced first hand what he's talking about. I knew I was hearing the real story rather than just statistics from an intellectual who had no real idea of what the prison system is really like. I would have liked for Boothe to search a little deeper into the Haiti, Aristide and USA question, maybe even reading Randall Robinson's take on the situation, and then he might see it a bit differently. Otherwise, it is a good book and one every one in America should read. We indeed, have a crisis going on.
Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Why Are So Many Black Men In Prison? A Comprehensive Account Of How And Why The Prison Industry Has Become A Predatory Entity In.......2007-06-09
The book was very interesting. I learned soooo much about the government and the prison industry. I did some searching independantly to check on the things reported in the book and they are very true. Great Read!! Buy the book.
A Must Read.......2007-05-25
Mr. Demico's book is a must-read for anyone concerned about young African American men. Although I did not agree with every conclusion he reached, Demico's main premises are convincing. As a white woman who teaches mainly students of color, I am always impressed, and often in awe, of those young men who reach college with so much going against them. Demico's books lays bare not only the horrible inequalities of our society, but also the racist attitudes of our political system - - Democrats, Republicans, and most everyone in between.
Why are so many Black Men in Prison?.......2007-05-13
I is a well put together book. He really goes into a lot of detail of how our society is really set up.
Why are so many blacks in prison?.......2007-05-12
I found this book very interesting. As a white devil myself, I had no idea that I was responsible for forcing blacks into committing crimes and then subsequently clogging up the whole "Prison Industrial Complex"(tm). I will try to stop causing this, as I am sure it is creating a LOT of trouble for everyone! Sorry!
It is probably also my fault that young black men dressed in XXXXL clothes overtly threaten me and my family members routinely. Can anyone tell me what I should do to make this not happen?
I imagine it's also my fault that black on white violent crime is WAY higher than white on black violent crime, even though blacks constitute about 12.5% of the population, and whites are about 70%. But since it is impossible for a black to commit a hate crime according to our criminal justice system (since blacks are not under any circumstances racist), statistically, there are more white on black hate crimes. Boothe notes a statistic regarding hate crimes, but he skips the one about interracial violence in general.
In sum, Boothe notes that just about everything blacks do is actually MY fault, because my skin is white. Boothe, I've got a word for you.
Introspection.
Average customer rating:
- Gain Knowledge in the Understanding of Addiction
- Good Insight
- Facinating
- Excellent, readable review of the drug world
- Teachers, Take Note!
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Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to their History, Chemistry, Use, and Abuse
Paul Gahlinger
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Drug Dependency
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Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy, Fully Revised and Updated Second Edition
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From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs
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A Primer of Drug Action: A Concise, Non-Technical Guide to the Actions, Uses, and Side Effects of Psychoactive Drugs
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A Brief History of Drugs: From the Stone Age to the Stoned Age
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Marijuana Myths Marijuana Facts: A Review Of The Scientific Evidence
ASIN: 0452285054
Release Date: 2003-12-30 |
Book Description
Does Ecstasy cause brain damage? Why is crack more addictive than cocaine? What questions regarding drugs are legal to ask in a job interview? When does marijuana possession carry a greater prison sentence than murder?
Illegal Drugs is the first comprehensive reference to offer timely, pertinent information on every drug currently prohibited by law in the United States. It includes their histories, chemical properties and effects, medical uses and recreational abuses, and associated health problems, as well as addiction and treatment information.
Additional survey chapters discuss general and historical information on illegal drug use, the effect of drugs on the brain, the war on drugs, drugs in the workplace, the economy and culture of illegal drugs, and information on thirty-three psychoactive drugs that are legal in the United States, from caffeine, alcohol and tobacco to betel nuts and kava kava.
Customer Reviews:
Gain Knowledge in the Understanding of Addiction.......2007-08-10
This book was an eye-opener. I specifically bought it for an online course I am taking towards my CASAC certification. It gave me information that I wasn't aware of. An excellent book for anyone, even if you are not in the field of counseling or medicine.
Good Insight.......2007-08-09
The subject of illegal drug abuse in the US and all around the world is explored in this book. The book provides thorough information about chemical charateristics, type of drug, street names, origin, the ethnic group or race the drug is associated with, synthetic forms of the drug as well as an interesting history of the particular drug and their use dated back centuries ago!
Overall I found this book an informative, engaging read and would strongly recommend it to anyone!
Facinating.......2007-04-06
Unbiased look at American facinations with drugs. Gives all the dangers, yet explains WHY folks would use them.
Excellent, readable review of the drug world.......2006-09-05
This is among the most readable reference books written. The history and relationships of abusable drugs are covered. Then, commonly abused drugs receive individual attention. The information seems accurate and factual, and the author is a University-based M.D.
Unfortunately, he doesn't always note the source of some quotes clearly in the text. This leaves one wondering, at times, if the quote was intended to demonstrate a truth or a misconception -- especially if the topic in question is controversial. There are only occasional, minor references to sensationalistic stories that leave one wondering if they're true.
The author's bias (having read 2/3rds of the book so far), seems to be that the "War on Drugs" has not worked, but he's not a promoter of drug use, noting frequently the enormously harmful effects of drugs on both individuals and society. He describes both the positive and negative uses of drugs.
While this book contains a great deal of medical info, it is written for an educated layman and is not filled with the arcane technical writing and jargon of typical medical texts. Highly recommended overall.
Teachers, Take Note!.......2006-07-28
I thought I already knew quite a bit about illegal drugs, but this book is CHOCK-FULL of information. What stands out in my memory is the woodcut of the medieval "witch" applying LSD to her vaginal mucous membrane while riding a broomstick - wooow!
I thought I was a mini-expert on Malignant Hyperthermia, only to learn the new drug Ecstasy causes MH and is treated similarly with ice and Dantrolene. He also describes how to use Prozac (a re-uptake inhibitor) to protect oneself from nerve terminal destruction caused by Ecstasy.
These fun little nuggets of information could be used to liven up any Biology lecture! I especially liked how he compared the effects and risks of each drug of abuse and gave examples of famous users. He made what could have been a boring topic, very engaging and relevant.
Average customer rating:
|
Transnational Threats: Smuggling and Trafficking in Arms, Drugs, and Human Life
Manufacturer: Praeger Security International General Interest-Cloth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Civil Rights & Liberties
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ASIN: 027599404X |
Book Description
This collection of essays demonstrates how the security of Americans is potentially threatened by individuals and governments engaged in the illicit trade in arms, drugs, and human beings in distant parts of the globe. More than just a threat to Americans, the essays underscore that these activities are often detrimental to U.S. interests around the world due to the destabilizing impact that each activity can have on a nation or region. More revealing is how terrorists benefit from this illegal trade, generating critical sources of funding used for everything from recruiting to procurement of weapons and explosives of all types to extend and expand the scope of their struggle. The scope of this work is truly global. Fourteen essays touch on prevailing problems from the Balkans to Southeast Asia and the Pacific; from Africa to the Caribbean, and more. In each essay, the authors explore a problem that not only has direct regional repercussions, but larger international ones as well. The essays present problems that result from these illegal activities as a global epidemic, not simply regionalized problems.
Amazon.com
Jill Jonnes provides a highly detailed and enormously readable history of American drug use in the 20th century, making the important point that narcotics were a problem long before their naive glorification in the 1960s. Without ever sounding preachy, she calls for re-stigmatizing illegal drugs. "The societal costs of widely available drugs clearly outweigh whatever pleasure and insight they provide to those who can handle them," she concludes. "Just Say No" may have seemed corny, but there was something to it.
Book Description
"Fascinating, well researched and finely honed... This is a must read." -- Judge Peggy F. Hora, California BenchOnce upon a time in America, morphine and cocaine were routinely sold in pharmacies, and "hop heads" gathered in shadowy basements to smoke opium. So begins Hep-Cats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams, Jill Jonnes's ground-breaking history of illegal drugs in America. Jonnes vividly traces our first turn-of-the-century drug epidemic, successfully quelled, and then follows the story into the postwar era: starting in the jazz world of the northern cities and moving through the "flower power" 1960s to the cocaine and crack explosion of the 1980s and 1990s.
Customer Reviews:
Most of it is very, very good, except..........2007-04-08
Jill Jonnes worked as a journalist for many years before she got herself a Ph.D. in history, and reading through Hep-Cats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams it soon becomes apparent that she has let both her journalistic and historic expertise shine through. The book is incredibly thorough, informative, and revealing, and the enormous amount of sources cited is a dream come true for anyone who wants to explore the topic on his or her own, or simply make a check-up on her claims.
The book deals with - just like the subtitle says - the drug history of America, what substances have been legal and illegal throughout different eras, how the use and abuse have come and gone, what criminal (or legal) groups it was that distributed the drugs, how the public reacted to it all, and much, much more. Not rarely it's easy to be upset and/or surprised when one, for instance, learns of how widely available cocaine was at the beginning of the 20th century, or partakes in all those tragic fates that came to symbolize the traditional abuser after the crack epidemic swept across the country as the logical follow-up to the naïve cocaine extravaganza present throughout the 1980s.
It is, however, revelations about widespread corruption within different state and federal agencies along with revolting hypocrisy in American foreign politics that really grabs the reader's attention. One of many examples:
"The tragic truth is that the United States government covertly played a crucial role in strengthening the very organizations that fed the postwar drug plague, a plague that began on the streets of Harlem and other northern ghettoes, and spread eventually throughout the country." (pg.166)
In other words; from time to time the alleged good guys were (and still is?) just as wicked as the bad guys and organizations they say they're after.
"The United States, which historically had been implacably opposed to anything that promoted nonmedical drug use, had started to turn a blind eye to certain trafficking activities if they involved those friendly to our cause in the Cold War." (pg.175)
However, not everything is pleasing with Hep-Cats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams. Because, Jonnes has - and this is very surprising considering not only her historical training but also the way the rest of the book looks - a view of the relationship between humans and drugs that is nothing but shockingly narrow-minded and outright offensive. Not only does she refuse labelling alcohol as a drug and apparently thinks it's cute and charming when someone has a drink or two as a means of relaxing after a hard day's work; she also apparently believes that all drugs are always harmful for all people under all circumstances.
Because of this, she finds it tremendously easy to come up with such bizarre ideas as: "The reality was that few people were likely to have their lives dramatically changed for the better or even notably enhanced by getting high." (pg.260) Abuse is equalled with abuse, the many positive effects of drugs in different circumstances are completely ignored, and the user is portrayed as an utter lunatic without any sorts of control over neither his thoughts nor his body.
And if this denial of the benevolent aspect of drug use isn't enough, she also has the guts to claim that usage is unnatural, by first saying that: "A rising chorus among the nation's youthful educated and elite argued that using drugs to achieve altered states was a natural - even desirable - experience." (pg.312), and then basically ridicules every single drug user in the history of mankind.
Apparently Jonnes believes that using different kinds of stimulants is a new invention, with no function whatsoever and with solely negative effects on everything and everyone. Even someone with only a meager knowledge of history is likely to know this isn't so, that people in all civilizations throughout the entire history of the human race have used different stimulants, both in religious and social contexts. What's "unnatural" about drugs is the drug trade itself, its politics, the artificial drugs developed in laboratories, and whatever restrictions the politics of narcotic substances has resulted in.
We all know that drugs and drug use have caused tremendous pain and insane amounts of casualties over the years. Denying something like that would be the definition of stupidity. But that's not the point; the point is that the scenario put forth by Jonnes is almost ridiculous in its absurd naivety:
"Nothing better epitomizes instant gratification and its dangers than the drug culture. Obviously, one of the great attractions of marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin is that they instantly loosen or dissolve ordinary inhibitions and restraints. The immediately put users in an 'altered state,' oftentimes pleasurable. People under the influence of these drugs become notably less responsible and do things against their better judgment. And focused as drug users are on the personal pleasure of using drugs, they certainly have no thought for 'collective well-being.' (pg.415)
So in the end, her book becomes just an average piece of work. Sure, she has lots of interesting things to say and is highly skilled doing so, but her unbelievably unrealistic approach to actual drug use comes very close to spoiling her entire effort.
biased historical perspective.......2003-02-10
Jonnes does a good job of chronicling America's history with drugs and drug use. She provides great detail in where drugs were and how they got there. However, her approached is biased and clouded by anti-drug inferences and conclusions throughout. After reading the second page, I knew exactly where her argument was headed. This might be fine for an opinion piece, but she presents this work as historical. It clearly is much more than that.
Jonnes also focuses on opiates as the standard for drug use, giving only passing references to marijuana, yet concluding that marijuana falls into the same category amid considerations of legalization or decriminalization. She makes some erroneous claims, like her implications that once you try opiates you'll be hooked soon after, very much a reefer-madness approach. She only casually alludes to Anslinger's corruption. She also only uses those studies that support her position, completely ignoring studies that have at least equal, and sometimes more, scientific soundness and validity. She never even mentions the government studies by Laguardia in 1944, or Schaffer in 1972, for example. But had she done that, it would have conflicted with her completely biased view. She even goes so far as to imply that Nixon eased drug penalties and presents him as a common-sensical figure in this, completely ignoring his demand that marijuana be classified as a schedule 1 narcotic, which it isn't (it's not even a narcotic, and it certainly doesn't fit the critera of schedule 1).
Unfortunately, this book is like much of anti-drug works - political in nature and deceptive in detail.
Drug Policy 101.......2001-01-01
It's frightening to consider that most of the politicians and bureaucrats responsible for establishing illegal drug policy in America will have never read Jill Jonnes' book. Hep-Cats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams should be mandatory reading for all such people, not necessarily because of the conclusions she reaches--there tends to be dispute in these--but because of the incredible wealth of historical information she has packed in it.
One surprise for the average reader of Hep-Cats is the rich history of illicit drug use in America. Drug use connotes Timothy Leary and the turbulent sixties, or the more recent crack cocaine epidemic. But in reality, numerous waves of drug abuse-illegal and otherwise--have swept the country, each with their own unique origins, consequences, and solutions. One of the benefits of studying history, is the opportunity to learn from past mistakes and avoid repeating them. It appears that America has been repeating its errors in using and controlling drugs for centuries. We're a liberal, open-minded society of fun-loving risk-takers. We delude ourselves into believing the latest and greatest drug has no consequences, or that we're at least of strong enough character to master it. The inevitable result is the vicious cycle of addiction (or dependency), crime, finger pointing, and policy experimentation.
Does the answer lie in prevention, treatment, education, law enforcement, stricter sentencing, or all of the above? We don't always agree, but Hep-Cats provides a thorough and accurate background, a wonderful educational foundation on which policymakers could base decisions and hopefully control arguably the single largest contributor to crime in America: drug abuse. But this is no textbook. Meticulously researched, thoughtfully constructed, and very well-written, Hep-Cats is an entertaining read for all. -Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.
Good, but somewhat preachy.......2000-05-05
This book is a great read if you want to know about the interesting history of drugs in the United States. However, Ms. Jonnes provides "answers" at the end of her book that are not consistent with the material she previously exposed. For example, she says that one solution is to stigmatize drugs; yet in the sixties the older generation was wholly antidrug and that did not stop the counterculture from using them. She also does not seem to want to acknowledge that alcohol use is another important part of the drug epidemic (even if it is now legal, remember Prohibition days), indeed, most people start with alcohol as a pathway to illegal drugs, not with marijuana. Also, she wholly refuses to accept that there could actually be people who use illegal drugs in a recreational way and that this does not affect their lives, work or relationships, something I find disturbing because in reality this is quite common. So, all in all, read this book for its greatly researched and detailed history but form your own opinion about the current situation and how it should be handled.
A curiously uncritical history.......2000-02-09
Jonnes randomly mixes a wealth of facts with a large body of rumor and innuendo without ever asking how to separate the two. I was particularly struck by her suggestion that cocaine-induced rampages by African American men in the South led to one police department's decision to upgrade their weapons, with a citation to Musto's more accurate history in the endnote. Musto notes that fear of cocaine was generated and sustained by wild rumors, racism, and reports of coked-up minorities raping white women and able to withstand .32 caliber bullets, leading one force to actually switch to .38s in order to effectively kill black drug users.
Average customer rating:
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Economics of Illegal Drugs (Studies in Crime and Economics, V. 1)
Pierre Kopp
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Book Description
With debates surrounding the decriminalization of certain illegal drugs raging in many countries around the world, this new book is a timely and sober reflection on one of the biggest social problems facing the world at large. Of interest not only to economists, but also to criminologists and those involved in policy making, The Economics of Illegal Drugs is an accessible, comprehensive and international review of the topic and the usefulness of applying microeconomic analysis to drug production and distribution.
Book Description
"Addiction is a chronic, progressive and incurable disease," says author John C. Fleming, a Louisiana physician who specializes in treating individuals and families facing the problem. "Though treatable, recovery rates are very low." Prevention is the only guaranteed way to avoid the life-long, personal-and-family misery associated with drug abuse, Fleming maintains. In his ground-breaking book, Fleming shows parents how to truly "drug-proof" their children. Parents wanting to help their children avoid drugs altogether as well as parents who already face the prospect of a drug-using child or teen will benefit greatly by reading and implementing the techniques described in his book.
Customer Reviews:
A Must-Read Book for All Parents.......2007-01-04
Dr. Fleming has written a "must read" book for all parents! He gives specific suggestions on how to raise your child from birth through the difficult teen years so that they will not fall into the trap of using addictive substances, from tobacco to alcohol to drugs of all kinds. Well written with substance. Emphasis is given to raising children in a Christian home with lots of love and trust while at the same time, with teenagers in particular, to "trust but verify".
Very useful book on preventing addiction!.......2006-12-28
This is a great book for parents who want to keep their children from becoming alcoholics and drug addicts - a parent's worst nightmare. It's a useful resource that both gives practical advice to parents as well as helps us understand the body's response to addiction. For instance, Fleming doesn't just tell us to start concerning ourselves with our children's exposure to drugs and alcohol when they reach the frightful teen years but implores us to realize that preventing addiction begins in elementary school. Also, this isn't simply a `just say no' book full of trite platitudes but a well-researched yet readable approach to the issues at hand. I highly recommend this book.
Preventing Addiction by Dr. J. C. Fleming: A Review.......2006-12-10
This excellent book is designed for parents of teens and youngsters who need the ammunition to prevent addiction problems. The author, being a Doctor of Medicine in Family Practice, has seen his share of addiction problems, so you are getting the advice of a professional in the area. His organization, descriptions, and methods of combatting and preventing addiction are just unsurpassed. The book is written in a straight forward manner with language that non-professionals can easily understand. You feel as if you were seated in Dr. Fleming's office, talking with him one on one. The book is just a superior resource. Sincerely, Dr. Lee Walker
Book Description
Half of all illegal immigrants came into this country legally—and we have no way of knowing they're still here!
Congressmen are putting their wives on their campaign payrolls—so that campaign contributions are really personal bribes!
The ACLU won't allow its own directors free speech.
Liberals want to strip us of the tools to stop terrorism.
The UN is a cover for massive corruption—and eighty countries, who pay 12 percent of the budget, are blocking reform.
Drug companies pay off doctors to write scripts—whether we need them or not.
Teachers unions block the firing of bad teachers—and battle against higher education standards!
Katrina victims are being stiffed by their insurance companies!
Special interests cost our consumers $45 billion—through trade quotas that save only a handful of jobs!
Never heard of these abuses? You won't in the mainstream media. That's why Dick Morris and Eileen McGann wrote Outrage. Their proposals:
- Ban immigration from terrorist countries
- Ban Congress putting spouses on their payroll
- Ban lobbyists who are related to senators or congressmen
- Ban nicotine additives to cigarettes
- Ban trade quotas that drive up prices and save few jobs
- Ban drug company bribes to doctors
- Ban teachers unions' work rules that stop education reform
- Ban insurance companies from backing out on Katrina coverage
In Outrage, you'll get the facts—and learn what we can do about them. You won't read about these outrages anyplace else; too many people are working hard to cover them up. Get them here instead—and learn how to fight the special interests of the left and right.
Customer Reviews:
Just another opportunity............2007-10-08
Looks like Morris has pumped out another book in order to make diggs at the Clintons..... He's either traumatized by the days he worked for them, or he's using them as a gravy train. Which is it, Mr. Morris??
Outrage.......2007-10-05
Excellent book for all citizens to read and react on. Doesn't matter if you are a Republican/Democrat/Independent/moderate/conservative/ or a liberal. The information in this book will make your skin crawl with the devious intentions of our elected officials. Next election there are going to be more changes of the American public wakes up and instead of caring about Britney's problems they focus in on topics such as these.
Boils the Blood.......2007-09-27
Get rid of the UN, get rid of Congress, yada yada yada...that is the book.
Not the best from Dick Morris.......2007-09-18
I prefer Dick Morris books where he actually has firsthand knowledge -- just like his several biographies of the Clintons. This book, on the other hand, was a bunch of facts with a lot less analysis that one would be used to seeing in a Morris work.
A must read.......2007-09-10
This book is a must read for anyone who really cares about the U. S. of A. It is well written and the author is a scholar and a historian, He knows what he is writting about, and so should you.
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