 First edition | |
| Author | Eric Schlosser |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
Publication date | 2003 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 0-618-33466-1 |
Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market is a book written by Eric Schlosser and published in 2003. The book is a look at the three pillars of the underground economy of the United States, estimated by Schlosser to be ten percent of U.S. GDP: marijuana, migrant labor, and pornography.
Contents
The book is divided into three chapters:
Chapter 1: Reefer Madness, Schlosser argues, based on usage, historical context, and consequences, for the decriminalization of marijuana. [1]
Chapter 2: In the Strawberry Fields, he explores the exploitation of undocumented migrants[ clarification needed ] as cheap labor, arguing that there should be better living arrangements and humane treatment of the undocumented migrants the U.S. is exploiting in the fields of California. [2]
Chapter 3: An Empire of the Obscene details the history of pornography in U.S. culture, starting with the eventual business magnate Reuben Sturman. [2] Schlosser closes by arguing that such a widespread black market can only undermine the law and is indicative of the discrepancy between accepted mainstream U.S. culture and its true nature.[ clarification needed ]
