The Rise of the Street Middleman/Woman in a Declining Drug Market
- 1 January 1999
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Addiction Research
- Vol. 7 (2) , 103-128
- https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359909004378
Abstract
Performing special services for others, when compensation is either explicit or implicit, is an integral part of the social organization of drug subcultures. One instrumental activity in this milieu is the service performed by the middleman or woman in obtaining illegal drugs for others. A street middleman/woman involved in drug transactions in Bushwick, Brooklyn is a person who specializes in procuring drugs for those people who cannot or do not want to purchase drugs directly from a dealer because of their unfamiliarity with the dealer and/or the fear of being arrested. They are monetarily compensated for this service by the customer. At times they also receive discounts from street drug dealers on purchases for their customers which increases their monetary compensation.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Gender, Power, and Alternative Living Arrangements in the Inner-City Crack CultureJournal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 1996
- Taking Care of Business—The Heroin User's Life on the StreetInternational Journal of the Addictions, 1969