This book examines the drug dealer in contemporary society from an interdisciplinary perspective and considers the increasingly blurred demarcation between illegitimate and legitimate drug markets. It explores the motives and drivers of those involved in drug supply and dispels common and stereotypical myths and misconceptions surrounding illegal drug markets and those who operate within them.

The drug dealer has become one of our foremost contemporary 'folk devils'. Those who trade in substances prohibited by law are the subject of array of inaccurate myths and urban legends. Criminology has tended either to shoehorn drug dealers into neat typologies or portray them as 'victims' of an uncaring, predatory post-modern society. In reality, we know relatively little about the complex and diverse world of drug markets and our concentration inevitably falls on low-end 'retail' dealers who operate in the most visible sectors of the illegal economy. Bringing together an international group of experts, this book considers perspectives from around the world, including UK, USA, South America, Spain, India and Australia.

This book will be of interest to students and researchers across criminology, law, sociology, criminal justice and public health, and will be essential reading for those taking courses on drugs, drug markets and substance misuse.

About the Author

Tammy C. Ayres is an Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Leicester. She is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research focuses on drugs, prisons and terrorism.

Craig Ancrum is a senior lecturer in Criminology at Teesside University. His research teaching is around drugs and drug markets, local crime and consumerism, violence and ethnographic methods.

Reviews

'With chapters written by field-leading experts, this collection sheds a great deal of light on the reality of drug dealing today. Rather than succumb to the usual stereotypes, contributors explore a diverse range of drug markets and the various strategies adopted by suppliers as they seek to profit from and remain afloat in the drugs business. On every page there is something new and worthwhile for students and intrigued social scientists to explore.'

Professor Simon Winlow, Northumbria University

'This excellent and much needed book engages with the complexities of 'drug dealing' giving space to the diverse ways of dealing drugs. The fascinating insights gained from exploration of the hidden worlds of those who deal drugs are eloquently captured in this edited collection. The impressive array of authors engage with the nuances and intersections involved in the dealing of drugs, while also challenging stereotypes and stigma surrounding the ultimate contemporary folk devil - 'the drug dealer'.'

Fiona Hutton, Associate Professor, Victoria University

'Bringing together some of the most prominent voices in the field, Ayres and Ancrum compile a truly interdisciplinary and critical approach to the clandestine world of drug dealing. Addressing myths and realities about drug violence, markets, and policy, they weave in important structural and interpersonal realities that truly make this a holistic and cutting edge must-read!'

Professor Victoria E. Collins, School of Justice Studies, Eastern Kentucky University

'One of the most vilified and misunderstood characters, drug dealers get the treatment they really deserve in this new volume - a nuanced, unvarnished and critical analysis that reveals and informs the reader of the diverse motivations, mundane realities and real harms of drug markets and supply chains. While prohibition continues to fail, alongside two-dimensional political and journalistic treatments, this book takes an unblinking look at those responding to the desires or desperation of drug users. From international mafias to local 'lads' and friendly neighbourhood dealers, from the desperate hinterlands of cities to college dorms, gyms, suites and on to the opaque systems of crypto currencies and postal drops, this is a fresh and essential briefing on a perennially thorny set of issues. A truly global collection of detailed and close-up investigations, brings new insights, analytical depth and ideas to a subject that has for too long been crying out for insights anchored in thorough academic enquiry.'

Rowland Atkinson, Chair in Inclusive Societies, University of Sheffield

Book Information
ISBN 9781138541825
Author Tammy C. Ayres
Format Paperback
Page Count 464
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 900g