Here’s my keynote lecture at the 2021 Australian & New Zealand Addiction Conference on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. I spoke around my 2019 book, “Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs“. The Australian & New Zealand Addiction Conference was hosted by the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association, a non-government,…
Showing all posts tagged war on drugs
Ubud Writer’s Festival event on Pills, Powder and Smoke
I was invited to this year’s Ubud Writer’s Festival in Bali, Indonesia, one of the best literary festivals in the world. I attended twice more than a decade ago (and had extraordinary experiences in the Muslim-majority province, Aceh). This year, now run online, is a session about my drug war book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, in conversation with…
Crime Spot podcast on the drug war
Austrian-based podcast, Crime Spot, “picks up on current events and looks behind the scenes to better understand the role played by organized crime in shaping modern events and crises.” I was recently interviewed about my latest book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs.
The false allure of El Chapo’s capture
My book review appeared in last weekend’s Australian newspaper: El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzman By Alan Feuer Simon and Schuster, 256pp, $32.99 On the day in February 2019 that the world’s most notorious drug cartel boss, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was found guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom, the prosecution was ecstatic. Richard P.…
Sydney Writer’s Festival interview on Pills, Powder and Smoke
This year’s Sydney Writer’s Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19 so it’s now gone online. I’ve been interviewed about my recent book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, by criminologist Dr George (Kev) Dertadian. My other writer’s festival event this year is a conversation about the rise of far-right fascism.
The dark underbelly of Newcastle, Britain
In my recent book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, I spend time across the UK, including the city of Newcastle, documenting the often brutal ways that the state mishandles drug users and addiction. The UK Sun newspaper commissioned me recently to write about my experiences in Newcastle. It’s not a…
UK Times Radio interview on “ethical cocaine” etc
Every now and then, a politician desperate for attention announces a policy to be tough on drug users. The latest person is the Conservative candidate for London mayor, Shaun Bailey, who wants companies to drug test their employees. It won’t work. In light of my recent book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War…
The future of cocaine is being written now
Cocaine is a hugely popular drug that causes global carnage. It should be legalised and regulated. I investigate these issues in the current edition of UK magazine Gentleman’s Journal:
LSE tackles Pills, Power and Smoke
Happy to see another (relatively positive) book review of my latest book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, just published in the London School of Economics by Alessandro Ford. The book was released in the UK in late 2019 so it’s pleasing to see it still being discussed (after all, the…
Synthetic drugs are here and surging
Synthetic drugs are here and the future of drug taking and trafficking. I’m quoted in this UK Telegraph story today about a massive shipment of amphetamine drug Captagon that was discovered in Italy: Watch_ Italian police seize 14 tonnes of ‘jihad drug’ pills worth €1 billion after they were shipped from Syria Here’s my full…