Reefer Madness (Schlosser book)

2003 book by Eric Schlosser

For the 1979 book by Larry "Ratso" Sloman, see Reefer Madness (Sloman book).

Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market
First edition
Author	Eric Schlosser
Language	English
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date	2003
Media type	print
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.

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 ]}