Drug Sales, Gender, and Risk: Notions of Risk From the Perspective of Gang-Involved Young Adults.

We examine gender and meanings of risk in interviews (2007-2010) with gang-involved young men and women (n = 253) engaged in illicit drug sales in San Francisco, California. The in-depth interviews from this NIDA-funded study were coded using the software NVivo to identify patterns and themes. We examine their interpretations of the risks of drug-selling and their narratives about gender differences in these risks. We find distinct discourses regarding the role of femininities and masculinities and male and female bodies in shaping risk as well as the nexus between gender, family, and risk for female drug sellers.

Unlocking the spiritual with club drugs: a case study of two youth cultures.

Researchers have become increasingly interested in the link between spirituality and the use and misuse of drugs as well as intervention. First, studies have pointed to spirituality and religious involvement as a protective factor against substance use. Second, the quest for spirituality can play a role in drug use. This article has two aims. First, it seeks to examine the features of spirituality connected with both recovery from drug misuse and psychoactive drug use. Second, it seeks to understand the latter in the context of contemporary youth culture. We draw from our comparative study on club drug use among young people in two cultural locales-San Francisco and Hong Kong, where two different drugs, ecstasy and ketamine, have become associated in different dance party settings with a spiritual awakening of self-awareness and liberation.

Moving beyond the gang-drug-violence connection.

The aim of this article is to reflect on the conceptual and methodological developments of our gang research over the past 20 years. We have conducted a large number of consecutive qualitative studies on youth gangs, drugs and alcohol in one urban locale for over two decades and have amassed a data set of over 2000 qualitative interviews. We have kept pace with the social changes in San Francisco as they have impacted and shaped youth gangs and their members' lives. However, these changes have not only occurred in the social context of gang members' lives, but have also occurred in our own thinking about how to conceptualize research on gangs. We have broadened our analysis of gang members' lives and incorporated new theoretical developments from research outside of the gang field. In addition to this shift in emphasis, our overall aim has been to redirect the research focus on youth gangs from a social problem and criminological perspective to a more sociological approach in which these youth are situated within an everyday perspective. With these overall issues in mind, we see this discussion as taking stock of the nature of gang research in the past, present and future.

Sit Down to Float: The Cultural Meaning of Ketamine Use in Hong Kong.

From the late 1990s onward, ketamine use among young persons in Hong Kong grew rapidly becoming the drug of choice. This article examines ketamine's attraction in Hong Kong, and in so doing uncover the cultural meaning of ketamine use. The analysis is organized around the emergence and shifts in meanings and experiences of those who initiate and continue to use ketamine. The data stems from a comparative study of the social setting of club drug use in Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Rotterdam. Here we draw from 100 in-depth interviews to examine the experiences of young persons who have used drugs in dance venues in Hong Kong. Our findings indicate that ketamine has become embedded in a distinctively working class youth dance scene, is accessible in terms of supply and cost, shared among a group of friends, and results in a stimulating yet liberating experience beyond that of ecstasy.

Young Mother (in the) Hood: Gang Girls' Negotiation of New Identities.

This article examines the experiences of young women in street gangs who become mothers. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 65 young women in the San Francisco, CA, Bay Area, we examine their narratives about the transition to motherhood. In particular, we focus on the ways these young women negotiate femininities and attempt to reconcile their identities as young mothers and gang girls-both stigmatized identities. For many of the young women, motherhood entails a retreat from the street and a renewed emphasis on time spent in the home. While many receive (financial and childcare) support from their families, this also often means a diminution of the autonomy they experienced while more heavily involved in the gang. Issues of respect and respectability remain important for the young women, but the dimensions on which these are based change.

THE PATH AND PROMISE OF FATHERHOOD FOR GANG MEMBERS.

While an increase in research on criminal desistance has occurred in recent years, little research has been applied to the gang field. Using qualitative interview data, this article examines fatherhood as a potential turning point in the lives of 91 gang members in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fatherhood initiated important subjective and affective transformations that led to changes in outlook, priorities and future orientation. However, these subjective changes were not sufficient unless accompanied by two additional features: first, changes in the amount of time spent on the streets and, second, an ability to support oneself or one's family with legal income. Though fatherhood is no panacea, becoming a father did act as an important turning point toward desistance and motivator for change for some.

Youth gangs and drugs: the case of marijuana.

While the association between drug sales and violence has been a central focus of gang research since the 1980s, the issue of drug use within gangs has been given much less attention. This is especially true in the case of marijuana. This lack of interest is surprising given the extent to which gang members use marijuana. Other than alcohol, marijuana is the most widely used substance in gang life. In examining the culture and role of marijuana in the lives of gang members, we highlight the integration and normalization of recreational drug use within their day-to-day activities and cultural practices. In doing so, we emphasize the similarity of the role of marijuana in gangs to its role in other youth groups. Data for this paper are drawn from the results of an on-going qualitative study of street gangs in the San Francisco Bay Area, in which 383 male gang members from three different ethnic groupings were interviewed.

The rise of club drugs in a heroin society: the case of Hong Kong.

Although the contemporary dance drug scene is a global phenomenon, with many countries and cultures reporting similar developments with ecstasy and other club drug use, the scene, in many respects, is a reflection and expression of local culture. This article examines the rise of the dance drug scene in a society long associated with opiate use. After briefly describing Hong Kong's drug history, this article describes the diversification of its drug market to include ecstasy and ketamine in the context of a distinctive dance setting. The paper examines the trends in club drug use, particularly with the emergence of the dance scene, motivations to use, types of users, and the problems they experience with club drugs. The paper discusses the reasons for the rise and popularity of club drugs in the context of other locally available drugs, in particular, heroin. This discussion draws from three studies that tracked drug use trends from 1995 to 2002 through a variety of data sources, including official statistics, field observations, individual interviews with 20 law enforcement officials, 16 focus groups with outreach and drug treatment workers, teachers, and representatives from different communities, and in-depth interviews with 27 club drug users.