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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Ecstasy in London.
Crack in Los Angeles.
LSD in Tokyo.
Heroin in Sofia.
Cocaine in Medellín.
Bounty hunting in Manila.
Opium in Tehran.
This is your next fix.
This is Dopeworld.
DOPEWORLD is a bold and eye-opening exploration into the world of drugs. Taking us on an unforgettable journey around the world, we trace the emergence of psychoactive substances and our relationships with them. Exploring the murky criminal underworld, the author has unparalleled access to drug lords, cartel leaders, hitmen and government officials.
This is a deeply personal journey into the heartland of the war on drugs and the devastating effect it’s having on humanity.
Niko Vorobyov is a freelance journalist and author who has a conviction for possession with intent to supply. This is a readable if glib exploration of the drug world, offering a history to modern day drug policy and the development of various narcotic substances that’s too heavy with moral equivalence and too lacking in personal reflection to be a truly informative read about the subject.
I picked this up because I was interested in the fact that Vorobyov has a conviction for drug dealing, which I thought would give some personal insight into the world of drugs. Although he does discuss the situation that gave rise to his involvement with drugs, there’s no depth to his reflections and nothing to suggest that he’s really considered why he did what he did.
What you need to understand going into this book is that Vorobyov is starting from a pro-decriminalisation/legalisation stand point and the book’s arguments are all set out to support that. I can see the case for decriminalisation/legalisation (and the chapters in the book that look at how it’s been implemented in Portugal and Canada are very interesting) but I think it would have been helpful had Vorobyov also set out the weaknesses in this approach. Instead, what you get is recognition of how drugs do ruin lives - if not through overdoses or crime then through the violence that comes with criminal gangs competing to control supply - but the argument that this is all because drugs are illegal in the first place. Frankly, I found that unconvincing - not least because although alcohol and cigarettes are legal, there are still gangs out there that bring cheaper versions into, e.g. the UK to get around excise duty.
Where the book does work is in setting out the history of the War on Drugs and setting out what the impact has been in various countries around the world. Vorobyov has done a lot of travel for this book, meeting and interviewing a lot of players on both sides of the law and at times clearly taking a lot of personal risk to do so, which is commendable. There is a lot of detail on how various drugs, e.g. ecstasy and LSD were discovered and developed and how the various Mexican and Latin American gangs got their start and carry out their business. What spoiled it - for me - however was the glib writing style that Vorobyov adopts for some of these sections and also the way he’s incapable of discussing women without mentioning whether they are attractive or not. Also off putting was the moral equivalence that goes on where he talks about the damage done by drugs but then goes onto to say that alcohol and cigarettes are equally damaging, which for me undercuts the point he’s trying to make.
Ultimately though, what I think really held this book back is that there’s no real personal reflection here. He talks about his involvement with drugs as coming about because he lacked confidence and wanted to be more popular but the way he comes across in the book suggests that not a lot has changed here - not least because he describes himself as continuing to take a large variety of drugs. I thought it was interesting that for someone who couldn’t bring himself to tell his parents about his conviction, he doesn’t think to ask his parents what they thought about his drug dealing and nor does there appear to be anyone close to him who he can discuss about his behaviour and activities. As a result although I came away from the book feeling that I had learned more about the topic, I don’t think I got an even handed commentary, which undermines the overall effect.
The Verdict:
Niko Vorobyov is a freelance journalist and author who has a conviction for possession with intent to supply. This is a readable if glib exploration of the drug world, offering a history to modern day drug policy and the development of various narcotic substances that’s too heavy with moral equivalence and too lacking in personal reflection to be a truly informative read about the subject.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Crack in Los Angeles.
LSD in Tokyo.
Heroin in Sofia.
Cocaine in Medellín.
Bounty hunting in Manila.
Opium in Tehran.
This is your next fix.
This is Dopeworld.
DOPEWORLD is a bold and eye-opening exploration into the world of drugs. Taking us on an unforgettable journey around the world, we trace the emergence of psychoactive substances and our relationships with them. Exploring the murky criminal underworld, the author has unparalleled access to drug lords, cartel leaders, hitmen and government officials.
This is a deeply personal journey into the heartland of the war on drugs and the devastating effect it’s having on humanity.
Niko Vorobyov is a freelance journalist and author who has a conviction for possession with intent to supply. This is a readable if glib exploration of the drug world, offering a history to modern day drug policy and the development of various narcotic substances that’s too heavy with moral equivalence and too lacking in personal reflection to be a truly informative read about the subject.
I picked this up because I was interested in the fact that Vorobyov has a conviction for drug dealing, which I thought would give some personal insight into the world of drugs. Although he does discuss the situation that gave rise to his involvement with drugs, there’s no depth to his reflections and nothing to suggest that he’s really considered why he did what he did.
What you need to understand going into this book is that Vorobyov is starting from a pro-decriminalisation/legalisation stand point and the book’s arguments are all set out to support that. I can see the case for decriminalisation/legalisation (and the chapters in the book that look at how it’s been implemented in Portugal and Canada are very interesting) but I think it would have been helpful had Vorobyov also set out the weaknesses in this approach. Instead, what you get is recognition of how drugs do ruin lives - if not through overdoses or crime then through the violence that comes with criminal gangs competing to control supply - but the argument that this is all because drugs are illegal in the first place. Frankly, I found that unconvincing - not least because although alcohol and cigarettes are legal, there are still gangs out there that bring cheaper versions into, e.g. the UK to get around excise duty.
Where the book does work is in setting out the history of the War on Drugs and setting out what the impact has been in various countries around the world. Vorobyov has done a lot of travel for this book, meeting and interviewing a lot of players on both sides of the law and at times clearly taking a lot of personal risk to do so, which is commendable. There is a lot of detail on how various drugs, e.g. ecstasy and LSD were discovered and developed and how the various Mexican and Latin American gangs got their start and carry out their business. What spoiled it - for me - however was the glib writing style that Vorobyov adopts for some of these sections and also the way he’s incapable of discussing women without mentioning whether they are attractive or not. Also off putting was the moral equivalence that goes on where he talks about the damage done by drugs but then goes onto to say that alcohol and cigarettes are equally damaging, which for me undercuts the point he’s trying to make.
Ultimately though, what I think really held this book back is that there’s no real personal reflection here. He talks about his involvement with drugs as coming about because he lacked confidence and wanted to be more popular but the way he comes across in the book suggests that not a lot has changed here - not least because he describes himself as continuing to take a large variety of drugs. I thought it was interesting that for someone who couldn’t bring himself to tell his parents about his conviction, he doesn’t think to ask his parents what they thought about his drug dealing and nor does there appear to be anyone close to him who he can discuss about his behaviour and activities. As a result although I came away from the book feeling that I had learned more about the topic, I don’t think I got an even handed commentary, which undermines the overall effect.
The Verdict:
Niko Vorobyov is a freelance journalist and author who has a conviction for possession with intent to supply. This is a readable if glib exploration of the drug world, offering a history to modern day drug policy and the development of various narcotic substances that’s too heavy with moral equivalence and too lacking in personal reflection to be a truly informative read about the subject.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
