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Pills, Powder, and Smoke: inside the bloody war on drugs
Like the never-ending war on terror, the drugs war is a multi-billion-dollar industry that won’t go down without a fight. Pills, Powder, and Smoke explains why.
The war on drugs has been official American policy since the 1970s, with the UK, Europe, and much of the world following suit. It is at best a failed policy, according to bestselling author Antony Loewenstein. Its direct results have included mass incarceration in the US, extreme violence in different parts of the world, the backing of dictatorships, and surging drug addiction globally. And now the Trump administration is unleashing diplomatic and military forces against any softening of the conflict.
Pills, Powder, and Smoke investigates the individuals, officials, activists, victims, DEA agents, and traffickers caught up in this deadly war. Travelling through the UK, the US, Australia, Honduras, the Philippines, and Guinea-Bissau, Loewenstein uncovers the secrets of the drug war, why it’s so hard to end, and who is really profiting from it.
In reporting on the frontlines across the globe — from the streets of London’s King’s Cross to the killing fields of Central America to major cocaine transit routes in West Africa — Loewenstein reveals how the war on drugs has become the most deadly war in modern times. Designed and inspired by Washington, its agenda has nothing to do with ending drug use or addiction, but is all about controlling markets, territories, and people. Instead, Loewenstein argues, the legalisation and regulation of all drugs would be a much more realistic and humane approach. The evidence presented in this book will persuade many readers that he’s right.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2019
34 people are currently reading
632 people want to read
About the author
Antony Loewenstein
14 books222 followersAntony Loewenstein is an independent journalist, best-selling author, filmmaker and co-founder of Declassified Australia. He's written for The Guardian, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books and many others. His books include The Palestine Laboratory, Pills, Powder and Smoke, Disaster Capitalism and My Israel Question. His documentary films include Disaster Capitalism and the Al Jazeera English films West Africa's Opioid Crisis and Under the Cover of Covid. He was based in East Jerusalem 2016-2020.
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June 22, 2020Loewenstein’s book is meticulous and forensic, and also impassioned and urgent. What stands out is the clarity of his thinking and the rigour of his arguments. He has an historian’s grasp of the big picture and a storyteller's skill for getting us to walk in the other's shoes. The vast scope of his thinking, travel and research is evident on every page, as is his clear-headed compassion. This book is vital and I couldn’t put it down.
Christos Tsiolkas
Many people assume that as the war on drugs has failed and because a few countries have liberated cannabis as a recreational drug as well as a medicine, the “drug problem” is solved. This new book powerfully demolishes any such complacency that might have developed in the west. Drug wars represent a major, ongoing world-wide disaster. This book is a must-read for anyone pursuing a rational policy debate about drugs.
Professor David Nutt, Imperial College, London
Antony Loewenstein is an amazing journalist and this is an amazing book. Anyone who cares about the war on drugs - one of the biggest catastrophes in the world - should read this superb book right away.
Johann Hari, author of Lost Connections and Chasing the Scream
In this vivid, partisan piece of reportage, Australian journalist Loewenstein (Disaster Capitalism) depicts the catastrophic human consequences of the U.S.-led war on drugs and advocates for the legalisation of all illicit substances. Loewenstein argues that America’s prohibitionist policy serves not to counter abuse or impede trafficking, but rather to create corrupt “narco states” that are complicit with the federal government’s foreign policy goals ... Readers inclined to take a skeptical view of the drug war ... will welcome Loewenstein’s advocacy.
Publishers Weekly
A critique of the war on drugs, which, by the author’s account, is mostly a war on the poor and dispossessed ... The author examines several fronts in a war fought by Western governments, especially the U.S., on harder drugs that ‘are consumed nightly in such major cities as London, Sydney, New York, and Paris’ ... A sometimes overwrought but pressing survey calling into question a war that would seem to benefit only its combatants.
Kirkus Review
Pills, Powder, and Smoke provides vital coverage of a war that may never be won, but that desperately demands out attention.
Kylie Maslen, Kill Your Darlings
He brings humanity and an even hand to his journalism, attempting to draw out multiple perspectives and asking questions from all angles but doing so with intimacy and palpable emotion ... Loewenstein believes in a moral drug policy, in ethical drug-taking and in fair-trade drugs, and makes no bones about wanting to change the conversation.
Louise Swinn, The Saturday Paper
A great read that cements my view that the war on drugs will never be won.
Wendy Squires, The Age
Thought-provoking.
The Telegraph
Loewenstein gives a thorough and convincing picture of an utterly failed policy.
Will Self, The Observer
A forensic look at the war on drugs.
Take 5 Magazine
Christos Tsiolkas
Many people assume that as the war on drugs has failed and because a few countries have liberated cannabis as a recreational drug as well as a medicine, the “drug problem” is solved. This new book powerfully demolishes any such complacency that might have developed in the west. Drug wars represent a major, ongoing world-wide disaster. This book is a must-read for anyone pursuing a rational policy debate about drugs.
Professor David Nutt, Imperial College, London
Antony Loewenstein is an amazing journalist and this is an amazing book. Anyone who cares about the war on drugs - one of the biggest catastrophes in the world - should read this superb book right away.
Johann Hari, author of Lost Connections and Chasing the Scream
In this vivid, partisan piece of reportage, Australian journalist Loewenstein (Disaster Capitalism) depicts the catastrophic human consequences of the U.S.-led war on drugs and advocates for the legalisation of all illicit substances. Loewenstein argues that America’s prohibitionist policy serves not to counter abuse or impede trafficking, but rather to create corrupt “narco states” that are complicit with the federal government’s foreign policy goals ... Readers inclined to take a skeptical view of the drug war ... will welcome Loewenstein’s advocacy.
Publishers Weekly
A critique of the war on drugs, which, by the author’s account, is mostly a war on the poor and dispossessed ... The author examines several fronts in a war fought by Western governments, especially the U.S., on harder drugs that ‘are consumed nightly in such major cities as London, Sydney, New York, and Paris’ ... A sometimes overwrought but pressing survey calling into question a war that would seem to benefit only its combatants.
Kirkus Review
Pills, Powder, and Smoke provides vital coverage of a war that may never be won, but that desperately demands out attention.
Kylie Maslen, Kill Your Darlings
He brings humanity and an even hand to his journalism, attempting to draw out multiple perspectives and asking questions from all angles but doing so with intimacy and palpable emotion ... Loewenstein believes in a moral drug policy, in ethical drug-taking and in fair-trade drugs, and makes no bones about wanting to change the conversation.
Louise Swinn, The Saturday Paper
A great read that cements my view that the war on drugs will never be won.
Wendy Squires, The Age
Thought-provoking.
The Telegraph
Loewenstein gives a thorough and convincing picture of an utterly failed policy.
Will Self, The Observer
A forensic look at the war on drugs.
Take 5 Magazine
November 30, 2019
A very thoroughly researched book, Pills, Powder, & Smoke reveals not only the dirtiness of the war on drugs but the repercussions both the industry & the enforcers wreak on the public. I preferred the 1st part recounting the USA's habit of imposing itself on other nation's governments to the later parts detailing people's personal histories. Initially poignant, after a few the stories started to get a little dull, most likely because of the common elements between them. I definitely recommend this book for its wealth of information & insight.
May 25, 2023
Anthony Loewenstein takes a close examination of the war on drugs all across the globe, visiting numerous countries and conducting interviews with people on all sides of the issues in their home country. He started his search in Honduras, which he characterizes as having become one of the most dangerous places in the world, where climate changes and violence done by the U.S. backed military has become increasingly brutal and lawless, as well as by the drug cartels, leaving many feeling there is little option but to flee.
He moved on to Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, which has become a way-station for drugs being smuggled from South America to Europe. Here he begins to examine the link between drug marketing and terrorism. There is increasing drug use in this country, and across Africa, he finds, with little in the way of treatment for addiction.
In the Philippines, the author looks back at the islands' history, including occupation by the U.S. in the 1880's, up through the reign of a dictator who "unleashed a campaign against the destitute" while leaving the rich drug leaders untouched. I learned that a drug called "shabu", a mixture of cocaine and caffeine is the drug-of-choice for many.
In the U.S. the author, who is largely in favor of legalization with management and regulation, finds that in Colorado, following legalization of marijuana, more people are hospitalized and using the E.R. due to drug issues, and mental health issues related to cannibals use are on the increase. The Just Say No campaign has been an enormous failure, he found, as has mandatory minimum sentencing, filling prisons with nonviolent drug users or those dealing with addictions.
The author also visited England and Australia, where he once again found huge failures in the war against drugs, and increasing social crisis. Through all these countries, the author interviewed drug users, leaders in the drug war, politicians, and those advocating for change. In certain locales he found some new and more hopeful policies and practices in this on-going battle to not necessarily end the misuse of drugs, but to find ways to assist those who are desperate for different approaches, to use of "harm minimization" strategies. He explores the legitimate use of certain drugs for treatment of varying physical and mental illnesses, legalization and regulation of all drugs, medically supervised injection centers, and expanded treatment for those seeking to escape addiction. I found this book to be very well researched, and the author to be quite knowledgeable of his subject.
I received a copy of this book from Library Thing through their Early Reviewers program.
He moved on to Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, which has become a way-station for drugs being smuggled from South America to Europe. Here he begins to examine the link between drug marketing and terrorism. There is increasing drug use in this country, and across Africa, he finds, with little in the way of treatment for addiction.
In the Philippines, the author looks back at the islands' history, including occupation by the U.S. in the 1880's, up through the reign of a dictator who "unleashed a campaign against the destitute" while leaving the rich drug leaders untouched. I learned that a drug called "shabu", a mixture of cocaine and caffeine is the drug-of-choice for many.
In the U.S. the author, who is largely in favor of legalization with management and regulation, finds that in Colorado, following legalization of marijuana, more people are hospitalized and using the E.R. due to drug issues, and mental health issues related to cannibals use are on the increase. The Just Say No campaign has been an enormous failure, he found, as has mandatory minimum sentencing, filling prisons with nonviolent drug users or those dealing with addictions.
The author also visited England and Australia, where he once again found huge failures in the war against drugs, and increasing social crisis. Through all these countries, the author interviewed drug users, leaders in the drug war, politicians, and those advocating for change. In certain locales he found some new and more hopeful policies and practices in this on-going battle to not necessarily end the misuse of drugs, but to find ways to assist those who are desperate for different approaches, to use of "harm minimization" strategies. He explores the legitimate use of certain drugs for treatment of varying physical and mental illnesses, legalization and regulation of all drugs, medically supervised injection centers, and expanded treatment for those seeking to escape addiction. I found this book to be very well researched, and the author to be quite knowledgeable of his subject.
I received a copy of this book from Library Thing through their Early Reviewers program.
August 2, 2023
While the authors research and meticulous detail in drugs and their movement's, the statistics, and how it is a global problem was very interesting but there were several slight inaccuracies into the politics of the UK, that I worry was the same for the other countries, that I do not know in as much detail enough to question.
July 27, 2020
The book could have benefited from a clearer narrative. As it stands it comes off feeling very disjointed - more a collection of articles than a whole work. The strongest chapter is the final one, and perhaps worth just skipping ahead to this one alone.
April 2, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
November 15, 2023
Actual eye opener on America drug war and it's ugly effect.
July 27, 2025
** Some thoughts: 10:15AM (GMT+11) | Sydney, Australia (on couch, recalling memories of last night's triple j Countdown) **
A few months ago, I was speaking to a colleague about "nangs" - which is the Aussie slang for a nitrous oxide (N2O) cannister - and recent news coverage she'd read about users of nangs. Of course, outside of alcohol, Australia is quite conservative in its attitudes towards illicit substances, and the coverage she read spoke of the dangers of nangs, producing in her concern over the uptake of its usage, particularly in the youth of today. It was the first time I'd met her, and she appeared fairly anti-drugs; however, I took the opportunity to inform her that at the beginning of the year, I, her colleague, a 25 year-old, white male from the North Shore of Sydney, had inhaled a nang. Her face entered a very visible state of shock. It was as though there was some disconnect between me and the information I had just shared with her.
Antony Loewenstein's Pills, Powder, and Smoke shares two examples of drug users in Australia at the start of the chapter on the country, and, like with my story, reinforces the point that social perceptions of drug users (very much informed by journalism) are often ill-founded. Men who walk around in dark hoodies, wearing on their face long unkempt beards, reeking of body odour, seeming to have slept very little judging by the redness in and around their eyes; blokes who are always unemployed, kind of lost in life, lacking much direction, seem to prevail as the social image of a drug user. However, even if there's some truth in these stereotypes, there is no "typical drug user". Drug use is everywhere, as Loewenstein clearly articulates. Except, drug use disproportionately impacts the socially marginalised.
-
As an Australian, I found myself less interested in the chapters on other countries in Pills, Powder, and Smoke; and, after reading the chapter on "Australia", I managed to takeaway a great deal from Loewenstein's quite brilliant examination of the drug landscape in the country. One area of focus, which I've been a major supporter for years now, was that on pill testing in music festivals. Thankfully, the NSW Government have, as of early 2025, introduced a 12-month trial on what they call "drug checking".
Hyperdome, Midnight Mafia, and Yours and Owls are three music festivals that have facilitated "drug checking" as part of their event. Although I didn't attend any of these three festivals, I did hear at Yours and Owls that a few police officers had stationed themselves out the front of the drug checking area - which, quite understandably, discourages patrons of the festival from deciding to enter the facilities where the drug checking takes place. Having been to many music festivals in NSW, this behaviour of police officers seems to align with my observations and attitudes towards police at these events. Huge budgets are allocated to finance police at music festivals, and they communicate an "enforcement" presence rather than a "support service" to those at the event. I guess this all connects to the fact that drug use and possession in NSW carries with it fines, imprisonment and the potential for a criminal record. The police enforce this. So, naturally, if you are in possession of drugs at a music festival, you'd want to avoid being near them at all costs.
Maybe, as Loewenstein argues, Australian society needs to consider embracing a renewed attitude towards drug possession and use. Drugs, like in Portugal, become decriminalised. Illicit substances, much like alcohol, become available in regulated environments (think of a "pub" for marijuana, or ketamine). Campaigns are funded by the state governments to warn people of the harmful consequences that come with drug consumption. Doing this, not only could this lead to the decline of harm caused by the drug trade in the way it impacts South America, Latin America and Africa; but it could also make those "drug checking" facilities more approachable, even if police officers stand nearby. People consume safely, knowing that people will continue to consume drugs, no matter how much drug enforcement tries to prevent drug consumption.
Both conservatives, who seek more individual freedom and less government spending; and the progressives, who (let's say) seek reduced police surveillance and wider acceptance of drug usage; together, this future of drugs in our society can be something both agree on. To start, conversations around drugs need to continue, need to break down misconceptions on what drug users look like, and look towards a healthier societal relationship with drugs and what place they have in our society.
A few months ago, I was speaking to a colleague about "nangs" - which is the Aussie slang for a nitrous oxide (N2O) cannister - and recent news coverage she'd read about users of nangs. Of course, outside of alcohol, Australia is quite conservative in its attitudes towards illicit substances, and the coverage she read spoke of the dangers of nangs, producing in her concern over the uptake of its usage, particularly in the youth of today. It was the first time I'd met her, and she appeared fairly anti-drugs; however, I took the opportunity to inform her that at the beginning of the year, I, her colleague, a 25 year-old, white male from the North Shore of Sydney, had inhaled a nang. Her face entered a very visible state of shock. It was as though there was some disconnect between me and the information I had just shared with her.
Antony Loewenstein's Pills, Powder, and Smoke shares two examples of drug users in Australia at the start of the chapter on the country, and, like with my story, reinforces the point that social perceptions of drug users (very much informed by journalism) are often ill-founded. Men who walk around in dark hoodies, wearing on their face long unkempt beards, reeking of body odour, seeming to have slept very little judging by the redness in and around their eyes; blokes who are always unemployed, kind of lost in life, lacking much direction, seem to prevail as the social image of a drug user. However, even if there's some truth in these stereotypes, there is no "typical drug user". Drug use is everywhere, as Loewenstein clearly articulates. Except, drug use disproportionately impacts the socially marginalised.
-
As an Australian, I found myself less interested in the chapters on other countries in Pills, Powder, and Smoke; and, after reading the chapter on "Australia", I managed to takeaway a great deal from Loewenstein's quite brilliant examination of the drug landscape in the country. One area of focus, which I've been a major supporter for years now, was that on pill testing in music festivals. Thankfully, the NSW Government have, as of early 2025, introduced a 12-month trial on what they call "drug checking".
Hyperdome, Midnight Mafia, and Yours and Owls are three music festivals that have facilitated "drug checking" as part of their event. Although I didn't attend any of these three festivals, I did hear at Yours and Owls that a few police officers had stationed themselves out the front of the drug checking area - which, quite understandably, discourages patrons of the festival from deciding to enter the facilities where the drug checking takes place. Having been to many music festivals in NSW, this behaviour of police officers seems to align with my observations and attitudes towards police at these events. Huge budgets are allocated to finance police at music festivals, and they communicate an "enforcement" presence rather than a "support service" to those at the event. I guess this all connects to the fact that drug use and possession in NSW carries with it fines, imprisonment and the potential for a criminal record. The police enforce this. So, naturally, if you are in possession of drugs at a music festival, you'd want to avoid being near them at all costs.
Maybe, as Loewenstein argues, Australian society needs to consider embracing a renewed attitude towards drug possession and use. Drugs, like in Portugal, become decriminalised. Illicit substances, much like alcohol, become available in regulated environments (think of a "pub" for marijuana, or ketamine). Campaigns are funded by the state governments to warn people of the harmful consequences that come with drug consumption. Doing this, not only could this lead to the decline of harm caused by the drug trade in the way it impacts South America, Latin America and Africa; but it could also make those "drug checking" facilities more approachable, even if police officers stand nearby. People consume safely, knowing that people will continue to consume drugs, no matter how much drug enforcement tries to prevent drug consumption.
Both conservatives, who seek more individual freedom and less government spending; and the progressives, who (let's say) seek reduced police surveillance and wider acceptance of drug usage; together, this future of drugs in our society can be something both agree on. To start, conversations around drugs need to continue, need to break down misconceptions on what drug users look like, and look towards a healthier societal relationship with drugs and what place they have in our society.
November 25, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
‘The war on drugs is both an overt and covert conflict with visible and largely ignored victims. There are few winners, except drug cartels that make billions of dollars in profits, and law-enforcement bodies in multiple jurisdictions that enjoy a steady flow of state funds to pursue their goals.’
‘’It is legitimate to question whether the hyped-up narrative that has been constructed of a lethal problem is meant to justify placement of military, surveillance and anti-terrorism hardware and software in the region at a time when the US-led war on drugs' is losing support within many Latin American countries.’’
‘the system was deliberately failing people with drug problems and those caught in a cycle of drugs, poverty, and dependency.
Demonising the vulnerable was an effective silencing tool…It crushes poor people. It criminalises them. It puts them in prison. It shames them. It gets them to self-regulate communities, and it’s destroying communities?’
‘The war on drugs is both an overt and covert conflict with visible and largely ignored victims. There are few winners, except drug cartels that make billions of dollars in profits, and law-enforcement bodies in multiple jurisdictions that enjoy a steady flow of state funds to pursue their goals.’
‘’It is legitimate to question whether the hyped-up narrative that has been constructed of a lethal problem is meant to justify placement of military, surveillance and anti-terrorism hardware and software in the region at a time when the US-led war on drugs' is losing support within many Latin American countries.’’
‘the system was deliberately failing people with drug problems and those caught in a cycle of drugs, poverty, and dependency.
Demonising the vulnerable was an effective silencing tool…It crushes poor people. It criminalises them. It puts them in prison. It shames them. It gets them to self-regulate communities, and it’s destroying communities?’
September 17, 2025
It was interesting to think about the war on drugs and question why people think ‘drugs are bad’. I definitely learned new things through this book, but I would have liked a more balanced view.
The writer’s views were very clear and made to seem like the ‘right’ view, leaving it harder to have other interpretations even though other views are absolutely valid.
The challenge of a book like this is that it makes drugs seem like THE issue in the world today, but you could arguably write something similar about lots of other topics that would seem equally convincing.
My biggest bugbear was the portrayal of Colombia - not everything and everyone in Colombia is about drugs!
The writer’s views were very clear and made to seem like the ‘right’ view, leaving it harder to have other interpretations even though other views are absolutely valid.
The challenge of a book like this is that it makes drugs seem like THE issue in the world today, but you could arguably write something similar about lots of other topics that would seem equally convincing.
My biggest bugbear was the portrayal of Colombia - not everything and everyone in Colombia is about drugs!
December 7, 2025
Quite interesting insight into war of drugs and advocacy for legalisation and decriminalisation as opposed to failing Prohibitionist directive. Best line ‘the only way you are going to stop all people using drugs is if a big meteor hit Earth’. Liked the chapters focussing on each country would have liked more about different countries e.g. Colombia and China.
May 23, 2024
what i expected: a nuanced analysis of the who-what-when-where-why of global drug trade and its impact.
what i got: emotional moralistic mush.
what i got: emotional moralistic mush.
November 14, 2025
Deep look at the depth, bloodiness and horrors in the drug war.
February 1, 2022
3 Stars is the lowest I rate any book because there is always something to be gleaned...
I am open to legalization and regulation of illegal drugs. I'm on the fence. I want to be convinced. This book didn't do it.
Pros for me. 1. Learned something about the affects of the drug war in supplier countries.
2. Learned a few ways organizations are handling drug abuse in context specific environments.
Cons: 1. Horribly sourced. If you mention a "study" show me where it comes from. If I go to your endnote and you are simply reiterating what you wrote in the body of your text, that tells me nothing. Additionally, some sources are highly dubious. Just look at the first one. Why would you start your book with a source that can be so credibly questioned?
2. Incoherent arguments. Often cites how legalized substances cost society more than illegal ones. Alcohol is his go to. (303). I'm trying to grasp how that's supposed to convince me we should legalize everything else too? He gives lots of examples arguing for more access, then a few pages later shows how lack of access actually had success reducing abuse. Barely mentions cigarettes' at all. Seems like there could be some helpful insights and correlations regarding smoking addiction and its cost to society.
3. He seriously discusses the possibility of giving drugs to AI computers. Yes, you read that right. I think Lowenstein was high writing this book.
Overall, I'm down for hearing perspectives. Lowenstein certainly has one. Its readable. Got some interesting points. Just not very well done IMO.
I am open to legalization and regulation of illegal drugs. I'm on the fence. I want to be convinced. This book didn't do it.
Pros for me. 1. Learned something about the affects of the drug war in supplier countries.
2. Learned a few ways organizations are handling drug abuse in context specific environments.
Cons: 1. Horribly sourced. If you mention a "study" show me where it comes from. If I go to your endnote and you are simply reiterating what you wrote in the body of your text, that tells me nothing. Additionally, some sources are highly dubious. Just look at the first one. Why would you start your book with a source that can be so credibly questioned?
2. Incoherent arguments. Often cites how legalized substances cost society more than illegal ones. Alcohol is his go to. (303). I'm trying to grasp how that's supposed to convince me we should legalize everything else too? He gives lots of examples arguing for more access, then a few pages later shows how lack of access actually had success reducing abuse. Barely mentions cigarettes' at all. Seems like there could be some helpful insights and correlations regarding smoking addiction and its cost to society.
3. He seriously discusses the possibility of giving drugs to AI computers. Yes, you read that right. I think Lowenstein was high writing this book.
Overall, I'm down for hearing perspectives. Lowenstein certainly has one. Its readable. Got some interesting points. Just not very well done IMO.
February 26, 2020
This was such a nuanced look at the war on drugs.
Looking at many different countries including the Phillipines, Honduras, USA, Britain and Australia, this book looked at the not just the monetary cost of the war on drugs, but the human cost too.
In some places it was quite dry, but that's understandable as the author looked at the economical and political backgrounds of the places he visited. There was a spot in the Britain chapter, where the author spoke about sex workers which I felt wasn't handled as well, but that wasn't the aim of the book, so I forgave that.
Towards the end, the author looked at people aiming to decriminalise and normalise drugs and the people who take them, which was so interesting. We are on the eve of a drugs revolution, and I think this book did a great job at looking at the circumstances in which they are produced, transported and ingested across different spheres.
Looking at many different countries including the Phillipines, Honduras, USA, Britain and Australia, this book looked at the not just the monetary cost of the war on drugs, but the human cost too.
In some places it was quite dry, but that's understandable as the author looked at the economical and political backgrounds of the places he visited. There was a spot in the Britain chapter, where the author spoke about sex workers which I felt wasn't handled as well, but that wasn't the aim of the book, so I forgave that.
Towards the end, the author looked at people aiming to decriminalise and normalise drugs and the people who take them, which was so interesting. We are on the eve of a drugs revolution, and I think this book did a great job at looking at the circumstances in which they are produced, transported and ingested across different spheres.
March 28, 2021
I feel like the war on drugs is just one more aspect of how capitalism is beginning to fail and this book further highlights it. Loewenstein lays out a simple thesis that treating the problems associated with illicit drugs as a criminal problem exacerbates the problem where as a social a public health approach would be far more beneficial. He embeds into narco states and investigates many of the injurious ways illicit drugs are trafficked around the world. He then looks at other models including the social regulation model adopted by Portugal and the change legal status of drugs like Cannabis in some US states. The link between the war on drugs and the war on terror is also explained and the impact on human induced climate change is also explored. All in all a useful book for those interested in this aspect of modern capitalist imperialism.
March 27, 2020
Somewhat dry and unfocused. Initially rated it lower because I didn't learn much of anything from it, but in retrospect it could be helpful and informative to those on the fence. I think the medical psychedelics stuff should have been toward the early middle of the book because it's not a winning argument for those I've discussed things with, while the massive costs of enforcement that does nothing are the winning ones.
May 30, 2020
Overall, I think this is an interesting book which focuses on the people most affected by the war on drugs. However I found the ‘Solutions’ chapter overemphasised the importance/impact of single scientific studies and the rhetoric of science as a religion. While I understand that there are few studies on the subject, it can be misleading. I was also uncomfortable reading someone without medical training advocating for the using treatments that haven’t been thoroughly studied.
September 28, 2021
This was so good and interesting. I listened to this on audiobook, and I actually think I might buy this in paper copy to read again, and make notes and track down some of the things discussed further. It is definitely made for me, I have a big interest in harm minimisation when it comes to both drugs use and the drug supply network, and this book explores so much when it comes to this.
I would genuinely recommend this to anyone, because I think it is information they should know.
I would genuinely recommend this to anyone, because I think it is information they should know.
July 28, 2021
What becomes of the billions of dollars spent on the war on the drugs? Why are failed states failed? Loewenstein travelled to drug transit and courier countries at great personal risk, and coupled with his investigative research, his latest book gives us a powerful and compelling exposè on how little has been achieved by the war on drugs; Loewenstein offers a credible alternative.
November 9, 2019
Lowenstein’s investigative journalism reveals the utter nastiness and greed behind the drug market and exposes why what we are doing now to police it all will never work. I also encourage every recreational drug user to read this book. You might think again about the trade you are supporting.
January 27, 2020
I initially found the first few sections quite dry, but my interest piqued when I started listening to the section about North East England, possibly because I have a better frame of reference for it.
A well researched book that made me think more critically about decriminalisation.
A well researched book that made me think more critically about decriminalisation.
July 25, 2021
An enlightening book that looks into drug criminalization in different countries and the effect it has had, as well as alternative ways that drugs could be tackled without casting drug users and dealers immediately aside as morally corrupt beings.
January 29, 2020
An interesting book about the drug wars from a strong proponent of drug legalisation. Not balanced but good to hear this side of the story
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January 9, 2022Just couldn't get into this. Rather dry at times.
February 12, 2023
Enjoyed the book. Although some parts were rambling, it was a good read.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews