Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography

Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography
AuthorDominic Streatfeild
Published2002
PublisherDiane Publishing Company
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Pages510 pp
ISBN0-312-28624-4
Preceded bySilk Route by Rail (1997) 

Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography (ISBN 0312286244) is a 2002 non-fiction book about the history of cocaine, written by Dominic Streatfeild and published by Diane Publishing Company. The 2003 paperback edition (ISBN 0-312-42226-1) was published by Picador. The book investigates cocaine from the chewing of the coca leaf to the large scale trafficking of cocaine into the United States.[1][2]

Streatfeild goes into lucid detail about the history that the coca leaf had with the Native Americans and their Spanish overlords.[3] He also investigates the life and impact of the world's most famous cocaine addict, Sigmund Freud. Written with sobering statistics and personal humor, Streatfeild travels to a number of locations, including to New York, indigenous areas of South America, and ultimately to Colombia to meet with the Ochoa family. Prior to his trip to Colombia, is unable to obtain life-insurance, and proceeds without it.[4][5]

Within the book, the author interviews some of the most notorious figures directly involved in the distribution of Cocaine including George Jung,[6] whose life story was depicted in the 2001 film Blow and "Freeway" Ricky Ross,[7] the man attributed with the explosion of Cocaine use in California in the 1980s.

References

  1. ^ Richard Rudgley, "The World of Caffeine by Bennett Weinberg and Bonnie Bealer and other books", New Scientist, 30 June 2001. [1]
  2. ^ Cocaine: An Unauthorised Biography Drugnety Europe 34 EMCDDA
  3. ^ Christian Parenti, "Dominic Streatfeild, Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography (St. Martin's Press, 2002).", White Line Highway, [2]
  4. ^ Dominic Streatfeild, "Cocaine: An Unauthorised Biography". "Dominic Streatfeild : » Cocaine: An Unauthorised Biography". Archived from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  5. ^ Vince Kueter, "Adventurous look at world of 'Cocaine'", Seattle Times, 21 July 2002. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20020721
  6. ^ Dominic Streatfeild, "Source Material: Interview with George Jung", 21 June 2000, Federal Correctional Institute, Otisville. "Dominic Streatfeild : » Interview with George Jung". Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  7. ^ Dominic Streatfeild, "Source Material: Interview with Ricky Ross", 30 June 2000, Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego, California. "Dominic Streatfeild : » Interview with 'Freeway' Ricky Ross". Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2010.


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