The Andean Cocaine Industry

Using never-before unearthed information culled from extensive field research, the authors here reveal the configuration of the drug industry in South America, from the original cultivation of coca to the sale of cocaine on the streets of the United States--and analyze the economic and political impact of the drug business on the Andean nations.

It is commonly known that the Andean nations of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia are the international centers of cocaine production. But until now, there has been no comprehensive view of this billion dollar industry. Using never-before unearthed information culled from their extensive field research, Patrick Clawson and Rensselaer Lee reveal the configuration of the drug industry, from the original cultivation of coca in the fields of South America to the sale of cocaine on the streets of the United States. The authors analyze the economic and political impact of the drug business on the Andean nations, including such problems as violence and the undermining of legitimate business. Through the ground-breaking work of Clawson and Lee, "The Andean Cocaine Industry" illuminates one of the most pervasive problems facing the world today.