| Following its first appearance in the -mid to late 80's, the rave dance culture in the UK grew to be a massively popular youth cultural movement in which 'going clubbing' and drug taking formed an integral part. At the height of its popularity, the rave dance culture provided an easily accessed network for the buying and selling of illegal drugs, particularly the drug ecstasy. Many young people seized the economic advantages to be gained through this activity. This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study of young people participating in the rave dance culture in London, in the UK. It will highlight how the movement into drug dealing was largely unintentional though was usually triggered through the combination of a sufficient demand for drugs from others and having access to a drug supply. Once having crossed the drug dealing threshold a dealing lifestyle soon developed which was then found difficult to terminate. Plans to cease dealing were often ongoing. Terminating dealing was often only ceased as a result of being caught. The practical implications of becoming entrenched in a dealer lifestyle will be discussed. |
Updated 05/20/2006