O Guardian publicou um artigo sobre o livro "Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs and Cheap Labour in the American Black Market" do Eric Schlosser. O autor mostra, por exemplo, que a pornografia fatura mais dinheiro que Hollywood e os americanos gastam mais com maconha do que com cigarros. Além disso, há 8 milhões de trabalhadores ilegais no país que recebem em dinheiro vivo e não entram nas estatísiticas oficiais. Schlosser acredita que o mercado negro corresponda a 10% da economia dos EUA.
The annual number of hardcore video rentals in the US has risen from 79m in 1985 to 759m in 2001. Hardcore pornography in the shape of videos, the internet, live sex acts and cable television is now estimated to generate around $10bn, roughly the same amount as Hollywood's US box office receipts.
Americans spend more money at strip clubs than at Broadway, regional theatres and orchestra performances combined. The industry has mushroomed since the 70s, when a federal study found that it was worth little more than $10m.
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Some of the most expensive crops are grown indoors on the west coast using advanced scientific techniques but the American heartlands account for the largest volume. Some estimates suggest 3 million Americans grow marijuana, although mostly for their own or their friends' use, but between 100,000 and 200,000 are believed to do so for a living.
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