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UNDERGROUND: an Analysis of Lewisham’S Crack Market

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UNDERGROUND: an Analysis of Lewisham’S Crack Market UNDERGROUND: An Analysis of Lewisham’s Crack Market A report prepared for the London Borough of Lewisham Drug Strategy Team By Hannah Lindsell 2004 Contents Page Acknowledgements Executive Summary & Recommendations 1. Introduction..................................................................... 24 2. Lewisham’s Demographic Breakdown ......................... 27 3. What is Crack Cocaine? ................................................ 29 4. Literature Review............................................................ 38 5. Profile of Crack Users .................................................... 82 6. Supply.............................................................................. 113 7. Treatment ........................................................................ 133 8. Crack Users’ Appraisal of Treatment ............................ 152 9. Case Studies ................................................................... 177 10. Young People.................................................................. 181 11. The Community (Residential & Community) ................ 214 12. Lewisham Professionals’ Survey .................................. 259 Glossary of Key Terms ........................................................ 271 Ref erences………………………………………………………. 273 Appendix…………………………………………………………. 276 2 Acknowledgements Thanks to all the individuals who participated in the research study, provided data, or otherwise supported the project. The Researcher would like to acknowledge and express her gratitude to: The Drug Strategy Team, especially Nelly Szabo for her assistance with analysis and maps. Lisa Fannon for her initial input into the Young people’s research and her assistance at the youth clubs. David Lovie for his critical reading of the report and Chris Willoughby for his technical assistance. 3 Executive Summary & Recommendations Profile of Crack Users in Lewisham 50 local crack users participated in the research. A questionnaire designed to form a semi- structured interview ascertained their demographics, drug use, nature of the local crack market and dealers, how they funded their habits and their experience of treatment. Profile Two thirds of the sample were white and a third were from BME groups, the mean age was 35 and 58% were male. Housing · 92% of the sample lived in the borough · 58% were not in secure accommodation, 1 was NFA and a further 20 had experienced homelessness at some time in their lives. Physical Health · A third reported no health complaints · The majority of their ailments involved respiratory disorders-asthma, bronchitis and emphysema Mental Health · 58% of the sample suffered from depression and those experiencing past/present paranoia and psychosis attributed this to their crack use. Children · Just under half the sample had children not in their care; those most likely to have custody of their children were ex-users and those with adolescent children. Family History of Substance Misuse/Alcoholism · 28% had a family member with a drug or alcohol dependence and half of these had more than one addicted family member. Where there was a problem, alcohol was the most likely substance being misused. Drug Use · A rock of crack can be bought for £10 in Lewisham and was the price quoted by 80% of the respondents. Some users pay £20 and it would appear to be contingent upon size and where in the borough and from whom you were purchasing it. If you couldn’t get hold of any crack what would you use instead? · 46% laughed and said that would never happen, the money would run out before the availability dried up. · The remaining 54% stated they would alleviate their cravings with another drug, either illicit (heroin, amphetamine, powder cocaine or cannabis) or legal (alcohol, prescription drugs or aerosols). · Two other themes emerged namely: the compulsive binge nature of crack use; and the fact that many users felt they were not addicted to it and could put their cravings to the back of their mind and forget about it. Supporting someone else’s habit · A third were supporting another’s drug habit, they tended to share the cost with a partner, family member or friends. 4 What drugs have you taken in the past month? · 6/50 interviewed were no longer using crack · 15/50 (30%) of the sample were primary crack users (as had been 5 of the 6 ex-users), whose preferred route of administration was smoking; 9 (75%) used every day, they had been using crack on average for 6yrs. · 29/50 (58%) were poly-drug users, using both heroin and crack. · They had been using crack for longer than the primary crack users (11yrs), injecting was common practice and 6 were ‘speedballing’. · 4 drank heavily and 14 used skunk/cannabis, 6 had given up heroin and 7 spoke of crossing over addictions throughout their drug-taking years. How did you start taking crack? · One third cited the influence of friends, followed by family or partner, other themes emerging (in order were): · Arrival of a frequent dealer or user in their life · Curiosity · New way to take powder cocaine, · Depression/Personal problems · Acquired a habit outside of the country · Upon a dealers suggestion · Already involved in a drug scene · Smoking weed · Peer pressure. How do you fund your crack habit? · 60% cited their benefits but 36% admitted to shoplifting and explained to the Researcher about this, and Burglary, Deception and Clipping. · 6 respondents reported leaving a profession or losing their businesses due to their crack use, others described how they’d juggled jobs and a habit. Have you been arrested and charged in the past year · 40% had, mainly for shoplifting. Discrimination · 40% felt they had been discriminated against on the grounds of: · Their drug use (being labelled a junkie) · Race · Housing status Supply How do you normally buy crack in Lewisham? · The preferred method of scoring crack is to pick up from a pre-arranged place on the street, having phoned the dealer on their mobile telephone, placed an order and agreed a meeting point. · The least popular method was purchasing from a stranger on the street. · A popular option, that was not listed, was ‘Home Delivery’, cited by 26% of respondents. · The respondents were fixed in these methods and rarely strayed from one or two of them. How many crack dealers do you know in Lewisham? · Users knew an average of 10 dealers and had bought from 4 in the past month. 5 How do you contact your crack dealer? · 92% phone their dealer’s mobile telephone to order drugs Do you buy crack in the same area that you live? · Over half of the sample rarely had to leave their area (let alone borough), yet they would travel many miles: · In the event of a drought · For a good deal · For a particular dealer · For recommended quality. What drugs does your dealer sell? · 78% reported their dealer sold both crack and heroin Do you receive credit from your crack dealer? · The street term for credit is ‘bail’ · Nearly two thirds could get it, because they were good customers and could be trusted. · Some had to leave something of value such as jewellery or a DSS book, sexual favours could also secure credit. Crack-buying patterns · Interviewees were asked to describe the nature and frequency of their crack scoring. The most popular single option was to buy daily for themselves, whilst the most popular combination was “I buy 2-3 times a week for myself” and “Sometimes someone else buys drugs for me”. Speculation as to the likely relationship between dealers in Lewisham · It was felt the phrase “A lot of small dealers and a few big ones” best described the borough’s crack market. · In fact, the evidence accumulated for this report suggests that there are high numbers of minor street dealers, not working for themselves, getting their supplies from1-2 bigger dealers further up the chain. Availability and Supply of crack and any other drug · The majority could purchase crack in 15 minutes, and several could get it in less than 10 minutes. · Their theories suggesting what caused market changes fell into the following themes: · Prices have gone down · There are more crack users and dealers nowadays · Dealers push more aggressively nowadays. · Some felt the crack market was on the decline. How is crack sold in your area? · The crack market is semi-closed. It does not have a ‘front-line’, the users must be introduced to a dealer by a known user, they would then be given the dealers mobile telephone number. · Runners are a dying feature of Lewisham’s crack market, more commonplace 3-4 yrs ago. · Those that do operate are likely to be adolescents on bikes · They could also be a friend/partner of the dealer · There were contradictory reports as to whether they would be users themselves. · Runners are not concentrated in any one area · Runners are brought in after a raid or arrest when a dealer wants to stay away from the streets. 6 · Crackhouses are a rarity in Lewisham, most of them have been closed down by the police and they are unpopular with users. Does police activity affect the way you buy crack? · 42% answered yes: · It affected their behaviour and their dealer’s behaviour · It hindered but did not stop them · They were often under the scrutiny of the police. · 52% said no: · It made little impact on the market · They felt they had minimised their chances of arrest sufficiently. · 6% didn’t answer Treatment · 96% of the respondents had sought help for their drug use at some time. · 52% for heroin, 20% for crack, 16% for crack and heroin, 8% had accessed some other form of treatment and 4% had never been anywhere
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