Uncharted Terrains: Contexts of Experience Among Women in the Illicit Drug Economy

Abstract

This paper examines previously unexplored contexts of women's experience in the illicit drug economy. Data drawn from 141 women interviewed in a qualitative exploratory study compared methamphetamine use among 450 respondents in San Francisco, San Diego and Honolulu. Findings reveal the significant scope and extent of economic roles involving women match multi faceted and diverse drug use careers. The paper examines varied lifestyle and drug use characteristics in the context of shifting patterns of involvement in the methamphetamine drug economy. It then explores the perceived positive and negative consequences resulting from both drug use and drug sales. Analyses of these findings uncover several interrelated rationales, motivations, resources and values that chart the terrain of women in the illicit drug economy.