This book helped me during my BSS Monograph. I worked on the topic, drug, as a research interest. Although, I am still exploring different research interests before settling on to a specific genre, I love re-reading this book whenever I need to for academic purposes. This has been an observatory topic to me for the taboo and the interests surrounding drugs. So, I seeked help from Mr. Hari.

The writer, Johann Hari did so much more than just educating me on the war against drugs. I met everyone involved in this war, from government officials to drug cartels and dealers to people on the cutting edge of legalizing and decriminalizing drugs around the world. Hari also introduced me to people who were still struggling with addiction and people who had been clean for a long time. This book covers all sides of an important topic, and I'm so glad I read it.

He starts in the early 1900s, when alcohol was illegal, and goes all the way up to the present day when many country accepts open alcohol consumption and law makers think about laws sitting in a bar having previously illegalized alcohol. In each time period, he talks about real people on both sides of a problem.

As a reporter, Hari gave the facts without trying to hide the taboo-ed events. As a nonfiction writer on a mission, he often added his own thoughts to the facts too. I found this book a knowledgable and fair one for anyone who's interested in drugs and related crimes. But for the uninterested ones, this book might feel nerdy and boring.

Rating: 7/10