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Drugs and Thugs: The History and Future of America’s War on Drugs
A sweeping and highly readable work on the evolution of America’s domestic and global drug war
How can the United States chart a path forward in the war on drugs? In Drugs and Thugs , Russell Crandall uncovers the full history of this war that has lasted more than a century. As a scholar and a high-level national security advisor to both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, he provides an essential view of the economic, political, and human impacts of U.S. drug policies. Backed by extensive research, lucid and unbiased analysis of policy, and his own personal experiences, Crandall takes readers from Afghanistan to Colombia, to Peru and Mexico, to Miami International Airport and the border crossing between El Paso and Juarez to trace the complex social networks that make up the drug trade and drug consumption. Through historically driven stories, Crandall reveals how the war on drugs has evolved to address mass incarceration, the opioid epidemic, the legalization and medical use of marijuana, and America’s shifting foreign policy.
How can the United States chart a path forward in the war on drugs? In Drugs and Thugs , Russell Crandall uncovers the full history of this war that has lasted more than a century. As a scholar and a high-level national security advisor to both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, he provides an essential view of the economic, political, and human impacts of U.S. drug policies. Backed by extensive research, lucid and unbiased analysis of policy, and his own personal experiences, Crandall takes readers from Afghanistan to Colombia, to Peru and Mexico, to Miami International Airport and the border crossing between El Paso and Juarez to trace the complex social networks that make up the drug trade and drug consumption. Through historically driven stories, Crandall reveals how the war on drugs has evolved to address mass incarceration, the opioid epidemic, the legalization and medical use of marijuana, and America’s shifting foreign policy.
- GenresHistory
520 pages, Paperback
Published October 27, 2020
48 people want to read
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April 15, 2024
This is a super informative way to learn more about the war on drugs! I will say that the author could focus more on the racial impacts of it as well as the racialization of specific drugs. I also do not like some of the rhetoric he uses at times in reference to Latin America-specifically in the first couple of pages. If you can make it past that, there truly is a lot of important history the author gives. Definitely give it a read! He lays out the information in an accessible way that will leave you wanting more!
Displaying 1 of 1 review