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Subcultural evolution and illicit drug use.

Andrew Golub¹, Bruce D Johnson, Eloise Dunlap

¹Institute for Special Populations Research, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.

Addiction Research & Theory

|June 28, 2013

Summary

Drug popularity evolves through subcultural dynamics, influencing individual identity and drug use patterns. This perspective explains drug eras, generations, and the "gateway" phenomenon.

Keywords:

Subculture diffusion epidemic era gateway generation life course

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Area of Science:

Sociology of drug use
Cultural anthropology
Criminology

Background:

Drug popularity is influenced by societal and cultural factors.
Understanding drug use requires examining social contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

To articulate a subcultural basis for the evolving popularity of illicit drugs.
To explore the interplay between drug subcultures and individual identity.

Main Methods:

Empirical research in the United States, focusing on inner-city populations.
Analysis of how prevailing culture and subcultures impart significance to drug use.

Main Results:

Drug use emerges from a dialectic between drug subcultures and individual identity development.
Innovations, historical events, and individual choices drive subculture emergence and change.
This subcultural view explains drug eras, generations, and the "gateway" phenomenon.

Conclusions:

Subcultural dynamics are central to understanding illicit drug popularity.
The framework offers insights into historical and contemporary drug use patterns.
Individual identity is intertwined with participation in drug subcultures.