A Brief History of Cocaine, Second Edition provides a fascinating historical ins

ight into the reasons why cocaine use is increasing in popularity and why the ri
se of the cocaine trade is tightly linked with the rise of terrorism The author
illustrates the challenges faced by today's governments and explains why current
anti-drug efforts have had only a limited effect on this global market.
This updated edition reexamines the impact of cocaine production, trade, and con
sumption on society beginning in the 16th century. It shows how the commercializ
ation of cocaine was driven by cartels of Swiss and German pharmaceutical compan
ies and private enterprises across Europe, Asia, and the United States. The auth
or shows how government policies slowly transformed from trade, shipping, and ma
nufacturing regulations, with little or no success in stemming the flow of drugs
. The book describes how anti-drug laws, treaties, and costly initiatives involv
ing crop substitution, crop suppression, interdiction, and international coopera
tion were first attempted more than 400 years ago and why these strategies faile
d for Colonial Spain and later backfired on the League of Nations. The author sh
ows how economic necessity among growers, the environmental impact of pesticides
, the potential for genetic engineering of coca plants, and other loopholes have
actually been counterproductive, undermining the current efforts to curb the co
caine trade.
Featuring new and reorganized chapters, A Brief History of Cocaine, Second Editi
on contains the latest data and statistics relating drug trafficking to terroris
m, and explains recent trends in worldwide production, consumption, cost competi
tion, and international transport. This book offers a well-rounded historical pe
rspective that is ideal for criminal justice practitioners, teachers, students,
and anyone interested in this topic.