Monroe in a Cadillac: Drug Argot in Detroit

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Abstract
This article reports a large variety of drug terminology that is part of the lexicon of street drug dealers in Detroit, Michigan. It seeks to accomplish two aims in the presentation of this material. The first aim is to contribute to the general body of ethnographic data about the subculture of drug dealers. The second aim is to demonstrate that analysis of the particular terms used in the drug subculture can lead to a more accurate understanding of the perceptual and symbolic meaning that drug subculture participants attach to their own and others social experiences. This, in turn, may lead to a better comprehension of the motives, attributes, or other facets of the personality, lifestyle, and social organization of illegal subcultures. Through such understanding professionals who in the course of their work require familiarity with substance abusers and controlled substance purveyors may become more effective and efficient in their activities.

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