Killer High

Killer High, well-written and extensively researched, shows how the drugs-war relationship has served state interests and ambitions. * Katharine Neill-Harris, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *
Since time immemorial, soldiers have consumed mind-altering substances; Andreas (International Studies/Brown Univ.; Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America, 2013, etc.) delivers an impressive, often unsettling history of six. * Kirkus *
Peter Andreas...has drawn from an impressive and eclectic mix of sources to give psychoactive and addictive drugs a fuller place in discussions of war. His book steps back from the headlines to draw a full arc that reads as both complement and counterpoint to enduring fables and simplistic accounts surrounding wars and nations you may think you know. Organized into six main chapters on the varied drugs-war relationships - one each for alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, opium, speed and cocaine - it offers a fascinating interpretive lens for drugs' roles in making war and, in turn, wars' roles in spreading drugs around the world. * C.J. Chivers, New York Times *
Peter Andreas always writes about captivating topics, but his take on the combination of violence and drugs may be his best yet. This is a history of conflict and capitalism and how the two are intertwined. It also provides a fascinating perspective on consumer behavior and the creation of our drugged culture. Beautifully written, this book is both scholarly and wonderfully entertaining. A great read! * Miguel A. Centeno, Vice Dean and Musgrave Professor of Sociology, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University *
Ingeniously plotted, briskly written, and strikingly illustrated, Killer High delivers a kaleidoscopic trip through the history of drugs and war. Peter Andreas looks at the drug-war relationship from every angle: how combatants and noncombatants used drugs; how wars were fought through, for, or against drugs; and how wars shaped the fates of drugs, often speeding their rise as global commodities. * David Courtwright, author of Forces of Habit and The Age of Addiction *
Killer High frees history from the names-and-dates straightjacket and looks more deeply at why we fight. From the drinking binges of Alexander the Great to anti-drug campaigns in Afghanistan and Latin America, it illuminates the hidden relationship between drugs and war. By reimagining the past so insightfully, it helps us understand the conflicts of today and tomorrow. * Stephen Kinzer, Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs, Watson Institute, Brown University, and former foreign correspondent, New York Times *
"Peter Andreas is that rare political scientist who can weave serious and compelling historical arguments and who writes with the breadth and clarity of a public intellectual. Killer High is a killer book-the definitive work on the history of drugs and warfare. * Paul Gootenberg, Stony Brook University, author of Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug *
Killer High is a captivating book, laced with provocative insights about the enduring relationship between drugs and war and further enlivened with entertaining flashes of wit. * Andrew Bacevich, author of The Age of Illusions: How Americans Squandered Their Cold War Victory *