Overview

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.

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9781912854240

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Reviews

Praise for Disaster Capitalism: 'I am very grateful that Antony Loewenstein has brought his meticulous reporting to this subject, and the result is a keenly observed and timely investigation into rampant resource plunder, privatised detention centres, and an array of other forms of corporate rapacity on four continents. This book will serve as a potent weapon for shock resistors around the world.' -- Naomi Klein, author of <i>This Changes Everything</i> and <i>The Shock Doctrine</i> Praise for Disaster Capitalism: 'A journey into a world of mutated economics and corrupt politics that we ignore at our peril.' -- John Pilger Praise for Disaster Capitalism: 'Chilling study, based on careful and courageous reporting, and illuminated with perceptive analysis, helps us understand all too well the saying that man is a wolf to man.' -- Noam Chomsky 'A great read that cements my view that the war on drugs will never be won.' -- Wendy Squires * The Age * '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 * '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 * '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 Reviews * '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 * '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 <i>Lost Connections</i> and <i>Chasing the Scream</i> 'Loewenstein'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

Praise for Disaster Capitalism: `I am very grateful that Antony Loewenstein has brought his meticulous reporting to this subject, and the result is a keenly observed and timely investigation into rampant resource plunder, privatised detention centres, and an array of other forms of corporate rapacity on four continents. This book will serve as a potent weapon for shock resistors around the world.' -- Naomi Klein, author of <i>This Changes Everything</i> and <i>The Shock Doctrine</i> Praise for Disaster Capitalism: `A journey into a world of mutated economics and corrupt politics that we ignore at our peril.' -- John Pilger Praise for Disaster Capitalism: `Chilling study, based on careful and courageous reporting, and illuminated with perceptive analysis, helps us understand all too well the saying that man is a wolf to man.' -- Noam Chomsky `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 <i>Lost Connections</i> and <i>Chasing the Scream</i> `Loewenstein'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

Praise for Disaster Capitalism: `I am very grateful that Antony Loewenstein has brought his meticulous reporting to this subject, and the result is a keenly observed and timely investigation into rampant resource plunder, privatised detention centres, and an array of other forms of corporate rapacity on four continents. This book will serve as a potent weapon for shock resistors around the world.' -- Naomi Klein, author of <i>This Changes Everything</i> and <i>The Shock Doctrine</i> Praise for Disaster Capitalism: `A journey into a world of mutated economics and corrupt politics that we ignore at our peril.' -- John Pilger Praise for Disaster Capitalism: `Chilling study, based on careful and courageous reporting, and illuminated with perceptive analysis, helps us understand all too well the saying that man is a wolf to man.' -- Noam Chomsky `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 * `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 <i>Lost Connections</i> and <i>Chasing the Scream</i> `Loewenstein'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

Praise for Disaster Capitalism: 'I am very grateful that Antony Loewenstein has brought his meticulous reporting to this subject, and the result is a keenly observed and timely investigation into rampant resource plunder, privatised detention centres, and an array of other forms of corporate rapacity on four continents. This book will serve as a potent weapon for shock resistors around the world.' -- Naomi Klein, author of <i>This Changes Everything</i> and <i>The Shock Doctrine</i> Praise for Disaster Capitalism: 'A journey into a world of mutated economics and corrupt politics that we ignore at our peril.' -- John Pilger Praise for Disaster Capitalism: 'Chilling study, based on careful and courageous reporting, and illuminated with perceptive analysis, helps us understand all too well the saying that man is a wolf to man.' -- Noam Chomsky 'A great read that cements my view that the war on drugs will never be won.' -- Wendy Squires * The Age * '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 * '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 * '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 Reviews * '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 * '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 <i>Lost Connections</i> and <i>Chasing the Scream</i> 'Loewenstein'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 'Vivid reportage.' -- Colin Murphy * The Irish Times * 'Lucid and well-researched.' -- James Bloodworth * The Times *

`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 <i>Lost Connections</i> and <i>Chasing the Scream</i> `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 * `Loewenstein'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

Author Information

Antony Loewenstein is an independent journalist, bestselling 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 latest book is The Palestine Laboratory: how Israel exports the technology of occupation around the world which won the 2023 Walkley Book Award. His other books include 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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