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Beto O'Rourke

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Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico (Cinco Puntos Checkpoint Series) Paperback – November 29, 2011

by Beto O'Rourke (Author), Susie Byrd (Author)

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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 world8,000-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.

Print length

144 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Cinco Puntos Press
Publication date

November 29, 2011
Dimensions

5 x 0.5 x 7 inches
ISBN-10

1933693940
ISBN-13

978-1933693941
Lexile measure

1350L
See all details

Beto O'Rourke
113
Hardcover

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A levelheaded, analytical exploration of why the drug war isn’t working, and how the regulated legalization of marijuana could help stem a hemorrhage of blood and money Dealing Death and Drugs almost overwhelms with statistics, but it kind of has to." —Texas Observer

"It makes sense that those with a truly front row seat to the destruction of the Drug War would give birth to a treatise on marijuana legalization It's a message that is sure to resonate with others if this tract can gain public notice beyond the reaches of the border, where residents are already intimately acquainted with the price of prohibition." San Antonio Current

" a highly readable political manifesto for a more reasoned and enlightened drug policy O'Rourke and Byrd are to be commended for courageously and intelligently broaching and suggesting concrete policy changes concerning controversial issues upon which the future of El Paso, Juárez and other U.S.-Mexican border communities depend." Howard Campbell, El Paso Times

From the Back Cover

The War on Drugs doesn’t work. This statement becomes obvious if you live on the U.S./Mexico Border. Especially if your home is in El Paso, Texas, and you have witnessed Ciudad JuárezEl Paso’s sister citybecome one of the deadliest cities in the world.

This is why El Paso City Representative Susie Byrd and former City Rep Beto O’Rourke started to ask questions about the United States’ 40-year old War on Drugs. Byrd and O’Rourke soon realized American drug use and the United States’ failed War on Drugs are at the core of the problem. In Dealing Death and Drugs, 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 how it has contributed to the tragedy taking place in Juárez today.

Their position: the only rational alternative to the War on Drugs is to end the current prohibition on marijuana.

Beto O’Rourke announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for El Paso’s seat in the U.S. Congress. He recently completed his second term on the El Paso City Council. He continues to run Stanton Street Technology Group, a web-development company he co-founded.

Susie Byrd is serving her second term on the El Paso City Council. Before running for City Council, she served as a top aide to Mayor Ray Caballero. She co-edited The Late Great Mexican Border: Reports from a Disappearing Line (Cinco Puntos Press, 1996).

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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cinco Puntos Press (November 29, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933693940
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933693941
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1350L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.5 x 7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #176 in Political Trades and Tariffs
- #1,001 in Government Social Policy
- #1,880 in Human Geography (Books)

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Cathy Everidge

A very persuasive argument.

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

A very persuasive argument for legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana by a responsible legislator who is obviously not a drugee but who has researched the economics behind the cartels which fuel violent crime. A good analogy to alcohol prohibition is also shown.

8 people found this helpful

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Rahn Gearhart

This should be a must read for anyone who supports laws making drugs illegal.

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

Our drug war isn't just affecting our country, it's affecting other country's as well.

One person found this helpful

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Gracie Scroggs

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

Interesting to get an inside look at Beto and what he believes.

2 people found this helpful

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Dasler

What you need to know

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

I thought it flowed effortlessly for the subject matter. It's not an easy book to read for the average person who is not familiar with the truth and heartache of those involved in the topic. I think the author was able to more than adequately describe the true nature of the drug trade starting south of our border and carrying over to our citizens. He was born and has lived in one of the most vulnerable communities in our country, and has gained insight from his elected positions, so he is uniquely qualified to write this book. If you want to gain an understanding that might help us to better deal with problems or issues we have today, I highly recommend the book. I am only giving it four stars because once the book was published some changes might have occurred.

8 people found this helpful

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B. Gordon Edwards

This is a descriptive analysis of dynamics caused by the ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2015

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This is a descriptive analysis of dynamics caused by the War on Drugs which are not commonly known or presented. It offers realistic reforms needed for the nation's policies regarding drugs.

6 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Beto O'Rourke clearly lays out the argument to end the war on drugs

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

Great book

2 people found this helpful

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S Mullin

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

great read

4 people found this helpful

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Zac Pruitt

A compelling book arguing for a rational drug policy

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2012

Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico is a concise, well-reasoned, and compelling "argument to end the prohibition of marijuana." If the thousands of murders over the last few years on the Mexican border is an indication that the war is being won (as suggested by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency), then why has the number of young Americans that use marijuana not changed appreciably in 30 years? Faced with such a failure of policy, what are our options? Authors Beto O'Rourke and Susie Byrd present their case.

The opening chapters humanize the circumstance of citizens on the U.S.-Mexico border. As an outsider with nostalgic interest in my one-time home, I was shocked to learn that there had been over 3,000 murders in Juarez in 2010 alone. Why? The illegal marijuana trade is extremely profitable for organized crime cartels, and there is a Hollywood movie-like battle over power for the El Paso smuggling route.

In Chapters 2 and 3, the authors' arguments flourish with easily digested facts from respected sources, free of poisonous dogma and deadening recitation of statistics. It is here that O'Rourke and Byrd laid the groundwork for the dirty truth - the U.S. drug war has failed. A rational drug policy solution must be discussed.

Chapters 4, 5 and 6 read like a crime novel, where drug-dealers-turned-snitches spill information on the corrupt cartels. We learn of the rotten core of the illegal marijuana trade - how it moves across the border, how money changes hands, and why violence grew out of cartel turf wars.

In chapter 7, the authors' argument blossoms by pointing out the contradictions of the current drug policy. Despite billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars spent to fight the marijuana industry, the drug war has made "[N]o appreciable impact on curbing drug access and abuse." The authors provide a brief history of marijuana criminalization in Chapter 8, and draw policy parallels to the alcohol prohibition of the 1920s.

It is in the final chapters that O'Rourke and Bryd cultivate thought in what they call the "least bad solution" of decriminalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana. Of course, the preceding 86 short pages were building toward this conclusion. While fraught with many problems (public health issues, continued black market), this policy may be the "best of a number of terrible alternatives."

I highly recommend this book to policy wonks, students, or casual readers of non-fiction looking for tight, well-supported and clearly communicated book on the topic of U.S. marijuana policy.

6 people found this helpful

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Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico (Cinco Puntos Checkpoint Series) Paperback – November 29, 2011

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