Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico: An Argument to End the Prohibition of Marijuana

In response to the violence destroying Juarez, two elected officials from El Paso ending marijuana prohibition as sound public policy.

The War on Drugs doesn't work. This became obvious to El Paso City Representatives Susie Byrd and Beto O'Rourke when they started to ask questions about why El Paso's sister city Ciudad Juárez has become the deadliest city in the world--8,000-plus deaths since January 1, 2008. Byrd and O'Rourke soon realized American drug use and United States' failed War on Drugs are at the core of problem. In Dealing Death and Drugs -- a book written for the general reader -- they explore the costs and consequences of marijuana prohibition. They argue that marijuana prohibition has created a black market so profitable that drug kingpins are billionaires and drug control doesn't stand a chance. Using Juárez as their focus, they describe the business model of drug trafficking and explain why this illicit system has led to the never-ending slaughter of human beings. Their position: the only rational alternative to the War on Drugs is to end to the current prohibition on marijuana.

If Washington won't do anything different, if Mexico City won't do anything different, then it is up to us -- the citizens of the border who understand the futility and tragedy of this current policy first hand -- to lead the way. -- from the Afterword

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Dealing Death and Drugs will be donated to Centro Santa Catalina, a faith-based community in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, founded in 1996 by Dominican Sisters for the spiritual, educational and economic empowerment of economically poor women and for the welfare of their families.

Author: Beto O'Rourke, Susie Byrd
Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
Published: 11/29/2011
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.25lbs
Size: 6.90h x 5.00w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781933693941

About the Author
BETO O'ROURKE is a U.S. presidential candidate. A fourth-generation El Pasoan, he previously ran a widely popular campaign for Senate, served three terms the House of Representatives, and two terms on the El Paso city council . SUSIE BYRD, past city rep for El Paso, runs the District Office for U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar.