Middle Class Cocaine Sellers: Self-Reported Reasons for Stopping Sales

Abstract

Eighty former cocaine sellers, mostly wholesalers, were recruited for a study exploring the reasons people stop selling cocaine. The motivations to stop selling were often complex. Forty percent of the respondents reported criminal justice concerns, however 45% cited psychological problems and 35% physical health problems. The majority of the sellers cited relationship and sexual problems. Nearly a third reported that pressures from a spouse or lover were important to their decision to quit, and about 20% claimed pressures from family (children, parents, etc.) helped shape their decision. When asked to rank the most important reasons why they stopped selling cocaine, two out of every five reported they “disliked the lifestyle associated with drug sales.” This meant a combination of their own drug use, psychological and physical problems, the illegal nature of the activity, and the problems dealing with other drug users and sellers.

Key Words:

• Cocaine
• cocaine sellers
• trafficking
• quitting drugs
• adverse consequences