================= HES POSTING ================= 
 
     Since this is my first posting to HES, let me introduce 
     myself. I am an equity trader for a mutual fund company in Boston.  I 
     am pursuing a Master's in International Economics at Suffolk 
     University (part-time).  My completion date is Dec., 1997 followed by 
     a thesis. 
 
     I have informally proposed my thesis topic to a few faculty members 
     but it was met with skepticism. My topic choice is the illegal drug 
     market and it's implications for US markets in particular.  Their 
     criticism was based on the lack of data available on this topic. I was 
     unable to refute this solely because I do not know if this is the 
     case. My questions to readers are: Are data available on such a 
     topic?; Is it a topic that might cause more headache than it's purpose 
     of research and theory?  Any input is appreciated.  Thank you, 
 
     Tim Trainor 
 
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