War and Drugs: The Role of Military Conflict in the Development of Substance Abuse

by Bergen-Cico,Dessa K.

• ISBN13: 9781594518942
• ISBN10: 1594518947
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-12-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

War and Drugsexplores the relationship between military incursions and substance use and abuse throughout history. For centuries, drugs have been used to weaken enemies, stimulate troops to fight, and quell post-war trauma. They have also served as a source of funding for clandestine military and paramilitary activity. From the Opium Wars through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, themes of colonialism, capitalism, and anticommunism have constructed the foundation for the current crisis of international drug trafficking and addiction. In addition to offering detailed geopolitical perspectives, this book explores the intergenerational trauma that follows military conflict and the rising tide of substance abuse among veterans, especially from the Vietnam and Iraq-Afghan eras. Addiction specialist Bergen-Cico raises important questions about the past and challenges us to consider new approaches in the future'”especially to that longest of U.S. wars: the erstwhile 'œWar on Drugs.'

Author Biography

Dessa Bergen-Cico, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Public health and lead faculty of Addiction Studies at Syracuse university; she teaches international courses on drug policies and holds an research appointment at the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Bergen Cico is a Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS) and has worked in the field of alcohol and other drug prevention and treatment for nearly twenty years.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. viii
Acknowledgements	p. xvi
Introduction: The Escalation of War and Drugs in Relation to One Another	p. 1
Drugs and War	p. 6
The Opium Wars	p. 15
Drugs and the U.S. Civil War	p. 23
French Connections and the Corsican brothers	p. 30
High Hitler: World War II	p. 38
The Cold War Was Hot for the Drug Trade	p. 47
Project Bluebird and MK-ULTRA	p. 66
The Vietnam War and the Blowback at Home	p. 79
MexicoÆs Drug War	p. 89
Drugs and the Afghan Wars	p. 107
PTSD and Substance Abuse Among Veterans of the Afghan and Iraq Wars	p. 124
Conclusion: The Seven-Generations Cost of War	p. 136
Notes	p. 143
Index	p. 174
About the Author	p. 182
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