Living in an Illegal Economy: The Small Lives that Create Big Bucks in the Global Drug Trade

Abstract

While much attention is placed on the people at the top of the global drug trade who receive most of the profits, the people at the bottom of that trade, who are often poorly paid and working in dangerous conditions, are also worthy of in-depth study. This article focuses on the so-called “drug working class” to better explain why they do what they do and how their work fits into the general scheme of class issues. Recommendations for how to better research these workers, who are living through the “double burden” of poor working conditions from their employers and the governmental war on drugs, are also provided.