Beyond Survival: Social, Emotional, and Identity Pathways into Illegal Drug Market Involvement in England
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
By Chiara Marchica,
London Metropolitan University.
This study explores the factors shaping involvement in drug markets, challenging assumptions that participation is primarily driven by financial gain. While economic factors remain significant, the findings demonstrate that involvement is also shaped by deeper social, emotional, and identity-based processes that extend beyond survival. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with individuals formerly involved in drug dealing, whose perspective remains underrepresented within existing literature. The findings show that involvement does not emerge from a single cause, but through the interaction between structural constraints, social environments, and individual experiences. Financial pressure, limited legitimate opportunities, peer influence, and neighbourhood contexts shaped initial involvement, while identity, status, masculinity, and emotional factors sustained engagement over time. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of drug market involvement and highlights the need for more effective responses that offer viable alternatives to criminal engagement. Existing punitive approaches and processes of marginalisation may reinforce social exclusion and limit access to legitimate opportunities. The findings support the need for preventative strategies that move beyond punitive and deterrence-based approaches by addressing the underlying social, structural, and emotional conditions associated with drug market involvement.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21432484