Date of Award

1-1-2013

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

School of Criminal Justice

Content Description

1 online resource (x, 316 pages) : illustrations, map.

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Robert Worden

Committee Members

Alissa Worden, Jamie Fader, Sarah McLean

Keywords

Drug traffic, Drug control, Drug abuse

Subject Categories

Criminology

Abstract

Using data from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program, and from the 2000 U.S. Census, this exploratory study examined drug market acquisition behaviors and how this behavior differs by drug type, user characteristics, and across locations. A descriptive and comparative assessment of drug markets and acquisition behavior revealed substantial differences within and across drug types. This wide variation was evident across drug market clientele and across locations, regardless of the measure considered. The analysis also demonstrated that this data can be used to identify drug buyers that may also be drug sellers. Hierarchical and K-means cluster analysis was used to develop a typology of drug markets, demonstrating it is possible to categorize drug markets based on particular characteristics of the drug transaction. The cluster analyses resulted in distinct market types for each of the five drugs, indicating drug markets are more varied than the open/closed dichotomy suggests. The study concludes that detailed drug market information is crucial to our understanding of drug markets and will help inform law enforcement approaches to drug markets.

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