THE TAMING OF COCAINE II

Hidden drug populations have been neglected in scientific research, especially in Belgium . Such hidden populations consist of drug users who may not have been in contact with treatment and/or criminal justice agencies. Many of these 'non-deviant' drug users appear to be able to control their drug use.

In 1996-1997 a sample of 111 experienced cocaine and crack users were recruited with a snowball sampling technique and through participant observation in the Antwerp nightlife. The aim of the ensuing ethnographic study (Decorte, T., The taming of cocaine. Cocaine use in European and American cities, VUB Brussels University Press, Brussels , 2000) was to learn about the subjective perception and self-understanding of cocaine users. One of its major findings was that controlled cocaine users live by informal control mechanisms . In order to understand how users manage to maintain a 'soft' use pattern of a 'hard' drug such as cocaine, drug use should be interpreted as an interaction of drug, set and setting, and as a dynamic process.

'The taming of cocaine II' is the result of a follow-up study of 77 cocaine and crack users from the original ethnographic study after 6 years. This longitudinal design adds to the value of earlier findings about cocaine use in the life course of individuals. This book offers further detailed information about the rules drug users live by, the development of drug use patterns, and different cohort, age and period effects on behavioural and attitudinal changes. The findings of a longitudinal study such as this also provide a sounder basis for underpinning drug policies and treatments.