This book explores the origins, history and organisation of the international system of narcotic drug control with a specific focus on heroin, cannabis and cocaine. It argues that the century-long quest to eliminate the production, trade in and use of narcotic drugs has been a profound failure. The statistics produced by the international and domestic narcotic drug control agencies point to a sustained expansion of the drug trade, despite the imposition of harsh criminal sanctions against those engaged, as producers, traffickers or consumers, in the narcotic drugs market. The roots of this major international policy failure are traced back to the outdated ideology of prohibition, which is shown to be counterproductive, utopian and a fundamentally inadequate basis for narcotic drug policy in the twenty-first century. Prohibition, championed by many US policy makers, has left the international community poorly positioned to confront those changes to the drug trade and drug markets that have resulted from globalisation. Moreover, prohibition based approaches are causing more harm than good, as is demonstrated through reference to issues such as HIV/AIDS, the environment, conflict, development and social justice. As the drug control system approaches its centenary, there are signs that the global consensus on narcotic drug prohibition is fracturing. Some European and South American states are pushing for a new approach based on regulation, decriminalisation and harm reduction. But those seeking to revise prohibition strategies faces entrenched resistance, primarily by the U.S. This important text argues that successive American governments have pursued a contradictory approach; acting decisively against the narcotic drug trade at home and abroad, while at the same time working with drug traffickers and producer states when it is in America's strategic interest. As a result, US policy approaches emerge as a decisive factor in accounting for the failure of prohibition.

This scholarly examination of the worldwide web of narcotics today provides students, social workers, health providers, law enforcement officers and policy makers with an up-to-date, overall exploration of the world of drugs. Vast resources are pumped into the 'war on drugs'. But in practice, prohibition has failed. Narcotics use continues to rise, while technology and globalisation have made a whole new range of drugs available to a vast consumer market. Where wealth and demand exist, supply continues to follow. Prohibition has failed to stem consumption and production, criminalised social groups, impeded research into alternative medicine and disease, promoted violence and gang warfare, and impacted negatively on the environment. The alternative is a humane policy framework that recognizes the incentives to produce, traffic and consume narcotics.

This volume does four things. Firstly it examines the nexus between the illegal narcotics enterprise as a social phenomenon and political economy as a scholarly issue area. Secondly it explores the regional and global contexts of the political economy of illegal narcotics operations in the Caribbean. Thirdly it assesses some of the political economy connections and consequences of the enterprise in the region. Finally, it discusses some of the measures adopted to contend with the illegal drug challenge in the area.

While debates surrounding the decriminalisation of certain illegal drugs are raging, this new book is a timely and sober reflection on one of the biggest social problems facing the world at large.

Andrews (economics, Wellesley College) argues that economic foundations of the Civil Rights movement have been destroyed by the combined forces of globalization, technology, and tight government budgets. He fills an important intellectual gap in writing on race by developing an economic analysis of the links between competitive capitalism, racial hostility, and persistent racial inequality in post-Civil Rights America. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

New to this edition.

This informative book brings a fresh perspective to the continuing debate about globalization and regionalization in the global political economy and the ways in which state policy, in both developed and developing countries, shapes the patterns of economic integration and competitiveness among participating countries and firms. Focusing on the United States and the Caribbean, the book traces the advent and subsequent growth of production sharing between outsourcing textile, apparel firms and assembly operations located in specially designated export processing zones. This case study allows a number of broad conclusions to be reached regarding the political economy of production sharing that will inform the work of those in the fields of international and comparative political economy, development studies and business and management.

The Politics of Narcotic Drugs brings together leading experts on the drugs trade to provide an accessible yet detailed analysis of the multiple challenges that the contemporary trade in narcotic drugs and its prohibition pose, from the local to the international community. Through the use of country and regional case studies that include Afghanistan, Mexico, Colombia and the Middle East, the drivers of the drugs trade and the security and development dilemmas created by the prohibition of narcotic substances are explored. Contributions that assess the international drug control regime, British anti-drug enforcement organizations, 'narcoterrorism' and options for drug policy reform engage readers in current debates and the narrative frameworks that shape discussion of the drugs issue. The book is an invaluable guide to the dynamic and far-reaching issue of narcotic drugs and the impact of their prohibition on our countries and communities. The chapters are followed by an A-Z glossary of key terms, issues and organizations, and a section of maps and statistics.

The author explores common but frequently misleading themes concerning race and drug control, providing an outline of UK drugs strategy from its class-oriented beginnings in the nineteenth century to the present day, identifying the real victims of drugs, drug trafficking and drug supply. She looks at the full range of drugs issues from the supply end of the drugs chain through enforcement and court proceedings to treatment approaches re addicts and other drug users.