30428 - Drugs, Money, and Work

Description

Drug markets have changed substantially in recent years. The throes of the opioid crisis have cultivated a burgeoning illicit drug market, while legalization and decriminalization of marijuana and other psychotropic substances (e.g., psybicilin, MDMA) in certain jurisdictions have created opportunities for legitimate employment and grey market industries. These changes in drug market legality and politics intersect with an influx of persons formerly incarcerated for drug crimes reintegrating into society--and looking for work--following rapid drug policy reform aimed at shrinking bloated prison populations. The session brings together perspectives from criminology, economic sociology, public policy, and work and occupations to survey the impacts of recent changes in drug market policy and politics on the sociological contours of drug markets, drug crime, and drug use. Topics covered substance include substance user reintegration, online drug trade, the grey market for hemp-derived cannabinoids, and neighborhood dynamics of drug trade.

Sub Unit

• Thematic Session

Presider

• Scott W. Duxbury, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Individual Presentations

• Vice for Sale: Neighborhood Conditions and Illicit Markets - Chris M. Smith, University of Toronto

• Drug sales on encrypted chat platforms - Kim Moeller, Malmö University

• Hemp markets and policy - Mark Pawson, Purdue University

• Drug courts, employment, and wages - Sadé Lindsay, Cornell University

Session Organizer

• Scott W. Duxbury, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill