Methamphetamine Manufacturing, Risk Management, and Restrictive Deterrence: Variation in Risk Perception and Management by Cooking Roles

• In Event: The Lived Experiences of People Who Use Methamphetamine

Abstract

People who engage in illegal behaviors do not passively accept the risks of their actions. Instead, they actively engage in risk reduction behaviors to minimize their risks. Here, we explore the ways that people who manufacture methamphetamine assess and manage risk associated with their cooking. Specifically, we use semi-structured interviews with women and men who cooked shake and bake meth to elaborate on what they see as the riskiest parts of cooking and on the risk reduction behaviors they implemented to combat these risks. We find that their adherence to risk management strategies was largely dependent on their role in the cooking process. Those who were primary cooks (i.e., led the cooking process) were more aware of risks and engaged in more risk reduction behaviors than those who were secondary cooks (i.e., assistants). The findings suggest that it is important to examine people’s roles and positions within illegal economies when discussing risk reduction and have implications for restrictive deterrence more generally.

Authors

• Jennifer Kim, Rutgers University

• Natalie Matos, University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Taylor Leet, University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Samantha Wilcox, University of Albany