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This book examines the phenomenon of online drug and drug paraphernalia sales, drug recipes, and information about drugs. Discussing the availability of products and advice regarding prescription drugs, steroids, and illicit drugs, the book also offers a profile of who is buying, selling, and sharing these products and this information. Additionally, Hawking Hits on the Information Highway examines the rise of drug testing as a vehicle of the war on drugs, and looks at how the Web has been used to market products and tips for cheating on drug tests. The book identifies the challenges for law enforcement and other bodies in policing the Web, and details how Internet-based sales are altering the war on drugs.
This groundbreaking book will particularly benefit students in college courses specifically addressing drugs, criminology, and law enforcement, and will be useful in any course examining wider social issues.
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"While it is common knowledge that the Internet has opened new areas of communication and commerce in the drug trade, no one has put this phenomenon into criminological perspective until now. Laura L. Finley has opened the proverbial 'Pandora's Box' and given us much to think about regarding the role of the Internet in creating and addressing the current drug problem in the U.S. ...This book offers an initial review of the relationship between common criminology theories and the Internet drug trade, and provides the reader with informative history and details of the trade - purchasing, tools to avoid detection, and information - making the many complex social and legal issues created by the Internet accessible to all interested parties. This well-organized and well-written book is a timely launch of an informed and intelligent discussion of this new dimension of addictions." (Craig Love, Senior Study Director, Westat)
"The Internet has revolutionized the way society operates and conducts business in previously unimaginable ways; yet there is a darker, more sinister side of the Internet that has given birth to the cybercriminal, particularly the cyber drug trafficker. The transnational aspect of cybercrimes, particularly relating to the challenges of investigating, prosecuting, and deterring unlawful cyber drug sales and operations, is a central theme woven throughout this book. 'Hawking Hits on the Information Highway' is a valuable contribution to the field, which will undoubtedly appeal to and attract the interests of criminal justice scholars, practitioners, and students." (Michael Pittaro, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Lehigh Valley College)
"Absolutely riveting. 'Hawking Hits on the Information Highway' is a beautifully clear and thoroughly researched account of exactly how both illegal drug dealers and the government's drug warriors exploit the Internet." (Jeffrey A. Schaler, School of Public Affairs, American University; Author of 'Addiction Is a Choice')
