TY - JOUR

T1 - Repertoires of distinction

T2 - exploring patterns of weekend polydrug use within local leisure lcenes across the English night time economy

AU - Measham, Fiona

AU - Moore, Karenza

PY - 2009/11

Y1 - 2009/11

N2 - Presented here are the first findings of self report surveys of prevalence of illicit drug use by customers in the night time economy of a large English city. Five random sample surveys conducted with dance club customers and three similar surveys with bar customers identified an association between illicit drug use, entertainment type and venue type. Firstly, club customers were significantly more likely to report lifetime, past month and fieldwork night drug use than bar customers. Secondly, distinct and prolific polydrug repertoires were associated with the genres of electronic dance music favoured within different clubs, along with evidence of the growing popularity of emergent drugs such as MDMA powder. Such polydrug repertoires support the notion of culturally, spatially and pharmacologically distinct local leisure scenes operating within the contemporary night time economy; rather than the same broad mass of customers choosing different leisure experiences on different occasions, or the more fluid, ‘neo-tribal’ cultural groupings suggested by some. The paper concludes by suggesting that prolific and enduring weekend polydrug repertoires within local leisure scenes increasingly polarise such scenes from drug use in the general population, with implications for policing and governance, alongside the need for a more nuanced understanding of the night time economy as an analytical concept in social research.

AB - Presented here are the first findings of self report surveys of prevalence of illicit drug use by customers in the night time economy of a large English city. Five random sample surveys conducted with dance club customers and three similar surveys with bar customers identified an association between illicit drug use, entertainment type and venue type. Firstly, club customers were significantly more likely to report lifetime, past month and fieldwork night drug use than bar customers. Secondly, distinct and prolific polydrug repertoires were associated with the genres of electronic dance music favoured within different clubs, along with evidence of the growing popularity of emergent drugs such as MDMA powder. Such polydrug repertoires support the notion of culturally, spatially and pharmacologically distinct local leisure scenes operating within the contemporary night time economy; rather than the same broad mass of customers choosing different leisure experiences on different occasions, or the more fluid, ‘neo-tribal’ cultural groupings suggested by some. The paper concludes by suggesting that prolific and enduring weekend polydrug repertoires within local leisure scenes increasingly polarise such scenes from drug use in the general population, with implications for policing and governance, alongside the need for a more nuanced understanding of the night time economy as an analytical concept in social research.

KW - drug use

KW - polydrug repertoires

KW - surveys

KW - night time economy

KW - dance music

KW - scenes

KW - bars

KW - clubs

U2 - 10.1177/1748895809343406

DO - 10.1177/1748895809343406

M3 - Journal article

VL - 9

SP - 437

EP - 464

JO - Criminology and Criminal Justice

JF - Criminology and Criminal Justice

SN - 1748-8958

IS - 4

ER -