Study: Drug Dealing Not Limited to Bad NeighborhoodsDecember 16, 2005
Research Summary
Drug dealing can thrive in neighborhoods where a strong sense of community exists as well as in socially divided areas, according to a report from Great Britain.The Philanthropy News Network reported Nov. 28 that the study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said that researchers at King's College London interviewed 68 drug dealers and 800 residents from various neighborhoods, as well as police and drug-related agencies. They found that while many residents expressed concern about drug dealing, some dealers have strong roots in their communities, including family and friends who profited directly and indirectly from the drug trade.
"Some drug markets are closely linked with both the legal and illegal economies of their neighborhoods," said study co-author Mike Hough. "In the sites we studied we found that drug dealing was sometimes run by cohesive groups with local family ties and extensive local networks of friends. Fragmented neighborhoods that are socially disorganized can -- as a result of inertia or neglect -- provide a suitable setting for an active drugs market. But it is equally clear that deprived, but cohesive, closely knit neighborhoods can also provide fertile soil for the development of drug dealing."
The authors said that having a better understanding of these relationships would help police and others combat the problem of drug dealing. "While arresting and punishing dealers is an essential part of any strategic response, support from the community and other agencies is essential," noted Tiggey May, also a report co-author. "Different types of drug market will demand different responses. But if those who aim to tackle the local drugs trade misunderstand or oversimplify the ways that they work, they risk failure and may create worse problems than already exist."
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