413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

on a particular play or deal; this particular person might have some. They might offer it to them; they take
it and then come back” (G11). Another respondent reported that he was aware his employees often used
tips to buy drugs, and he would sometimes supply money to employees for drugs. He stated, “I let them
keep the tips, sometimes the tips could be good. I wasn’t in the room; I don’t know what they could’ve
done for a tip. If some girls felt like they really needed the drug then I would give them money. Usually
they’d use tip money” (G8). Pimps also reported that they supplied drugs to employees simply because
they wanted them, rather than doing so for an identified business interest.
More frequently, respondents reported that rules were imposed against employee drug and alcohol use.
Some pimps would attempt to avoid hiring women with drug habits altogether: “I didn’t like none of my
girls to have a habit. I smoked weed so I didn’t have a problem with them smoking weed. I just didn’t want
them to have no hard drugs. I wouldn’t even take those girls. [I would] ask straight up, ‘You have any
habits’ When they have a habit, I’d put some money in their bra, [and say], ‘Take a little to get high with’
[and then send them away]” (B5). Drug habits were avoided because they presented possible
complications and additional problems for pimps: “It was for sure that no drugs [were allowed] because
that’s basically another problem … weed, alcohol, everything” (E16). One female pimp also explained:
One thing I didn’t do was mess with girls with drug issues. You bring one girl who’s
addicted to cocaine in a house with girls who don’t do drugs, [people] staying up all night,
would all do drugs to stay up if she came in, then all the profits go to maintaining the drug
habit. Can’t mix the two. I tried it one time, it didn’t work. It made me look like the bad
one, making the girl leave. I never had a drug issue; I don’t know what it’s like. (H8)
Some pimps set rules against the use of hard drugs specifically, but allowed for marijuana use and
drinking. A bottom corroborated her pimps discomfort with employee drug use by stating “He didn’t
allow drugs. He would let people smoke weed, anything else he’d wig out over” (D21). Another pimp
noted, “There was no drug use in my family … In the later years, marijuana was socially accepted. But I
didn’t like drugs, contrary to the popular belief that you have to hook women on drugs to get them to do
it” (G7). Other pimps expressed rules against drug use as more a preference than a set policy. A
respondent explained, “Yeah, no drugs. If you gonna smoke weed, I already tell you what to do a lot, I feel
that weed is a downer, makes you tired. When you tired you don’t wanna do anything, I prefer you not to.
But, if you feel it’s going to get you where you need to go, then do it” (E13).
Rules against drug use were sometimes related to reliability. Respondents reported that employee drug
use could have an impact on money collection. One respondent worried about the impact of drug use on
business earnings: “That’s one reason I refuse to deal with girls on drugs. For that itch to get high, [they’ll
accept] $20. I met one girl, real pretty and charging $50 for the date. I said to at least charge $200” (H8).
Another respondent explained:
I would prefer they didn’t do drugs or drink, so I preferred that they didn’t do it because
then the client didn’t feel like the girl was in control. Sometimes we would get calls for a
girl that did drugs, so they would book for a couple hours, but I always wanted to make
sure they collected the money, because sometimes they would get too doped to … they
had to collect the fee and even tip first. (A8)
For two respondents, drug use could be grounds for dismissal. One pimp stated, “I’d fire her for drugs …
Just like they would do at a McDonalds” (A4). Another respondent reported, “Anything like crack, meth,
[they have] got to go” (D7). While some respondents allowed for drug use, respondents more often feared
that drug dependencies would affect employee reliability and impact earnings.
Limitations on Clientele
Don’t talk to black guys. Don’t date black guys. Because they might be pimps. (E1)
Twenty-one percent of respondents reported that they did not allow employees to sell sex to either black
men or younger men. As discussed at the start of this chapter, 66 percent of respondents identified as
African American, and 8 percent identified as multiracial. Black respondents often exhibited prejudices
against black clients, and young respondents expressed assumptions about other young men.
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