The Frequency and Characteristics of Brokered Illegal Drug Sales

Reconceptualizing Illegal Drug Markets and Measuring Local Demand

Dados Bibliográficos

ID11057178
AutoresLee Hoffer (0000-0003-2740-6580, Case Western Reserve University, autor correspondente), Allison Schlosser (0000-0002-2930-963X, Sociology and Anthropology Department, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA), Emily Hadley (0000-0003-0074-4344, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA), Georgiy Bobashev (0000-0003-2346-1400, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA)
Ano2024
Volume51
Fascículo4
Páginas318-333
Data de publicação2024-12-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoContemporary Drug Problems (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0091-4509 • E-ISSN: 2163-1808
EditoraSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00914509241289085
OpenAlexW4404019526
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas43

Background Drug policies and interventions require an ongoing understanding of the local demand for illegal drugs. How illegal drugs are distributed to consumers is critical in the demand process. To overcome barriers to purchasing illegal drugs, people utilize their peers to purchase substances for them. These brokered drug sales allow buyers to leverage their peer networks to make purchases. For brokers, this form of exchange allows them to obtain drugs for free. This drug acquisition strategy is underappreciated in understanding how local drug market's function. Methods This paper presents findings from a brief survey on brokering collected from a random sample (N = 241) of active illegal drug injectors recruited from two syringe services programs in Ohio, USA. Results Findings indicate that 30-day and lifetime brokering behavior is common (71% and 90% respectively). Respondents who brokered in the last 30 days (n = 181) purchased drugs for an average of 7 people and from an average of 4 different sellers. Among this group, over 84% indicated that they used drugs with the person they brokered for, 49% reported often or always inflating the price to the buyer, and 27% indicated they removed some drug before returning to the buyer. Conclusion Measuring brokering offers new insight on the dynamics of drug markets, how they operate, and ways to measure their activity. The demand for illegal drugs incorporates the increased use of a drug, changes in the use of different drugs, and/or a novel drug being used. Accessing drugs via brokering accommodates these dynamics. By including brokering in drug market activity, the concept and scope of illegal drug markets transform into networks and not places

Business · Criminology · Drug · Illicit drug · Psychiatry · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Psychology