PhD ThesisHeavy-end drug use is a widely studied topic, however much of the research
within the field considers the phenomenon from perspectives of individual or
social pathology, devoid of any pleasure or meaning-making potential for the
user. In order to gain rich understanding of the local heavy-end crack cocaine
culture, this thesis utilises a methodology of ‘non-traditional ethnography’
wherein my ‘player’ role as a drug treatment practitioner replaces the
traditional approach of ‘insider’ within ethnographic research. This positioning
compliments the in-depth interviews which I have conducted with 25 heavyend
crack cocaine users from an area of the North East of England.
Despite the area being believed to be largely unaffected by crack cocaine, an
established and evolving local crack cocaine market was found to exist. The
market and distribution networks were found to be extremely complex and
multi-faceted and as much a social market as an economic market. In
contrast to the image of the ‘powerless addict’, users were found to often be
calculated consumers, who had developed sufficient knowledge and skill to
negotiate their way around this alternative consumer culture. Indeed, the
development of finely honed skills was a key theme throughout the study,
resulting in the application of Stephen Lyng’s edgework concept. The
development of this alternative conceptual vocabulary is found to have
significant implications for understanding heavy-end crack cocaine use and
crack cocaine treatment approaches