Drug Trafficking in Mexico and the United States

(Hardback)

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Gabriel Ferreyra presents a comprehensive analysis of drug trafficking in Mexico and the United States by examining the roots, development, consolidation, and cultural ramifications of this phenomenon in the past century as well as its negative consequences in contemporary Mexico. Ferreyra discusses the most devastating effects correlated to drug trafficking such as high murder rates, gruesome violence, disappearances, and mass graves to emphasize how Mexican society bears the brunt of this phenomenon while the United States insists on the futility of drug prohibition. Unlike other publications, this book provides an interdisciplinary social science approach where drug trafficking is conceptualized as a multifaceted social, political, economic, and cultural problem, rather than just a criminal justice issue.

Drug Trafficking in Mexico and the United States also revisits the war on drugs and provides an argument how drug control is the primary force behind drug trafficking. In that respect, there is an analysis on how the DEA has reinforced the war on drugs model and why it became a reactionary agency that opposes any comprehensive alternative to the American drug problem besides drug control. The author concludes with recommendations to implement forward-thinking measures such as decriminalization, reclassification, and legalization of drugs to effectively address the illicit drug trade.

Reviews

In his new book, Ferreyra (California State Univ., Los Angeles) argues that drug trafficking is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that intersects every aspect of society. Ferreyra contends that before assaying to solve the issue, scholars must first understand the problem posed by such illicit activity (while also remarking that scholarly treatments have often marginalized the multidimensionality involved). . . He highlights the complex relationships between producers, distributors, and consumers in his quest to identify the structural forces that create the necessary space for drug trafficking to continue thriving despite attempts of both Mexican and US government authorities to eliminate such nefarious activity. The text visits topics such as narcoculture (chapter 3), the most nefarious outcomes of drug trafficking in Mexico, and the sometimes destructive role of the Drug Enforcement Administration in developing drug policy (chapter 6). The final chapter offers suggestions such as decriminalization and legalization, also welcoming the fact that some sectors of US society and the world are embracing forward-thinking policies to move beyond prohibition. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.

Author Bio

Gabriel Ferreyra is assistant professor of criminal justice at California State University, Los Angeles.