School of Social and Political Science

Description

Title: Negotiating a moral economy in the time of COVID: dealing and buying dilemmas in the lives of Scottish drug users

Abstract:

During COVID times, as with other epidemics, people who use drugs may be more vulnerable both to the disease itself and to control measures introduced to manage it that may further disrupt their lives. The focus of this seminar is the way in which changes in the illicit drug market and distribution systems have shifted use and dealing contexts and decisions. It is part of the project ‘Understanding the health impacts of the Covid-19 response on people who use drugs in Scotland: implications for Covid-19 infection/transmission and impacts on harm reduction, treatment and recovery’. It investigated the long term health impacts of COVID control measures on people who use drugs. It examined changes in drug distribution and consumption, access and availability of harm reduction and other health services, and the provision of addiction treatment services. We focus on how dealers and buyers of illicit drugs respond to these control measures and disruptions and to the dilemmas created by them. We examine how their roles as economic actors and as drug users are entangled and present complex dilemmas, such as whether and on what terms to take up drug dealing and how to manage changes in income, drug quality and availability in a scarce resource environment.

The Edinburgh Sociology Seminar Series is a weekly series convened by Dr Christopher Barrie. Seminars take the format of a 45-60 minute research talk followed by 30-45 minute Q&A. We look forward to welcoming you there!