Crack to heroin? Drug markets and transition

Abstract

A number of supply and demand-side indicators provide support for heroin's 're-incubation' in an era of crack cocaine's decline. The present paper assesses the extent to which these and other trends converge with reports of heroin market participants operating on the streets of a large midwestern American city. Focal areas of investigation include quality, price and drug use conduct norms. Conceptualization centres on the short and long-term implications of heroin's reported resurgence on emergent street drug markets.