Dopeworld - Adventures in Drug Lands. Book review by Duffythewriter

Ecstasy dealing in London, crack talking in Los Angeles, LSD dropping in Tokyo, heroin smoking in Sofia, cocaine cooking in Medellin, bounty hunting in Manilla, opium taking in Tehran. This is your next fix. This is DOPEWORLD. 

DOPEWORLD is a bold and eye-opening exploration into the world of drugs. Taking us on an unforgettable journey around the world, we trace the emergence of psychoactive substances and our relationship with them. Exploring the murky criminal underworld, the author has unparalleled access to drug lords, cartel leaders, hitmen and government officials. 

This is a deeply personal journey into the heartland of the war on drugs and the devastating effect it’s having on humanity.

Duffy’s Thoughts On Dopeworld

I bloody loved Dopeworld. Author Niko Vorobyov is a smart if slightly cocky writer with a devilish and sarcastic wit. He takes us through his foray into drug dealing and is boldly upfront about his views. What you find out early on is that this is not an anti-drug book full of tales and tragedy about drug use. Dopeworld is far more complex than that and takes a wider perspective. Vorobyov explains just how drugs turn big money, run countries and those in power and have done for hundreds of years. Can we really win the war on drugs, and should we want to?

What are drugs anyway?

It’s a pretty broad term, ‘drugs’. If plants and chemicals are found naturally, should they be outlawed? Opium was legal for years and quite openly used by rich Victorian-era socialites who popped a few drops to treat what was ailing. Or discreetly popped into cups of tea by husbands controlling their ‘hysterical’ wives. Today, heroin still pumps deep in the veins of some countries, forever entwined.

We can drink ourselves stupid, pickling our livers losing jobs, families and our lives over it cheap booze. Yet, if you decide to ‘lay off the grog’ for a bit, you’re called a big big girl and told to harden up and grab a pint. It’s a brave man who chooses a J20 on a Friday night at ‘Spoons.

Smoking makes you a social pariah in most cities today. Yet, giving yourself lung cancer is still perfectly legal everywhere. Coming in packs of 25 sporting a picture of a rotting, cancer-ridden mouth on the packet does nothing to sway the consumer from buying. We become immune to seeing horrific images of body parts on pub and restaurant tables.

Can you trust an ex-drug dealer to tell you the truth?

Dopeworld is a thought-provoking read. Niko Vorobyov takes us through his personal relationship with drugs and the history of the main players (heroin, cocaine, marijuana, meth). How do some of us manage a healthy relationship with drugs and some do not? A rich wanker banker may keep a lid on his coke habit with a monthly blow out with his cronies while a poor woman in Detroit is gripped by addiction and becomes a crack whore. Why? Is it due to the social and economic demographic lottery? Mostly. Us humans are complex creatures and what is one man’s feast is another man’s poison and Dopeworld definitely gave me something to think about.

If you loved Marching Powder and Trainspotting you will love Dopeworld. A challenging, intelligent and mind blowingly funny read.

Dopeworld book review. War on drugs. Drugs Inc. non fiction. History of drugs
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