NCJ Number
155358
Journal
Crime, Law, and Social Change Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: (1994-1995) Pages: 269-289
Date Published
1995
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This analysis is based on interviews with 37 female and 74 male users of crystal methamphetamine ("ice") who were all of Asian-American ethnicity; the samples were drawn from San Francisco, San Diego, and Honolulu.
Abstract
The interviews involved a two-stage process in which respondents answered quantitative questions about personal and family characteristics, drug use patterns, legal history, and health status, and qualitative questions about life histories, the dimensions of their drug use history, and experiences and consequences of using ice. In some ways, ice users are like members of other drug subcultures in the U.S. Economically and politically marginalized men use ice to express and demonstrate their toughness and virility. Female ice users are situated in subordinate and controlled roles in the ice scene, and come from families in severe economic and social turmoil. This paper demonstrates that Asian-American users of ice relate to their drug use in very gendered ways. 4 tables and 24 notes