Mark A. R. Kleiman (1951–2019)

Being an analyst who follows the drug war in Mexico on a daily basis, I was really interested in this book to learn more about the drugs themselves, rather than just how they were being transported into the United States. SO many of the assumptions I had and things I "knew" about drugs and drug addiction were turned on their heads by the time I finished reading this! I'm still on the fence about whether we, as a country, would benefit more from maintaining current drug policy (or at least a show more smarter version of it) or ending all drug prohibition; there are just so many unknowns, and it's a very complex issue that can't be easily predicted. But what this book does is provide all of us - and hopefully several US policy makers - with solid information we can all use to be smarter about how we approach drug trafficking, drug addiction, and drug policy. show less

This is a clear, informative and realistic assessment of the public policy challenges posed by the American criminal justice system. The jewel at the center of Kleiman's book is the premise that the goal of crime reduction is compatible with a diminution of suffering at all organizational levels, including enforcement and punishment. It's the kind of book that one dearly hopes that our political class might actually read.