Crack cocaine in the Dublin region - Health Research Board

One of the participating crack users reported that she was currently working in the sextrade. This participant had children and regarded prostitution as a less risky means ofincome in terms of accruing criminal charges:I get lay ons [loans] off them or give them stuff to hold. Or go out working [prostitution]. Idon’t rob – I am not into robbing because if I got caught robbing I would be thinking ‘oh mekids’. Do you know what I mean? So, I would be working on and off. I worked a lot whenI was strung out on coke. So, I knew how it went. So, I just went down one night and gaveout me number to a few people. And I work over the phone rather down on the street don’twant to get known by police. I can’t afford it with the kids and that. If the clients ring me Iwill do it. If they don’t, I don’t bother.north-inner city, current crack user (October 2007)Another service had experience with women who were based in apartments; themajority of these women’s earnings were paid in crack rather than cash.When it comes to crack cocaine and that – it is the women who are working [in prostitution]and they are generally coming from all over the city…and we have got them up at the momentin from [County in midlands]. I met there two weeks ago a young girl, 19 years of age, crackhead, on the streets... I know one girl … she was going off to an apartment, working forEastern Europeans… She was going in on a shift from 12 o’clock and I said you know afterhow long will it be and she said probably 8 o’clock tonight, depends on whoever is comingin after her. There was three women working there. And they are no longer than a monthand they moved to another area. But I mean they get crack cocaine and 20 euro an hour.That’s pathetic. You know. So you know, at least on the streets they were getting their money,they are getting whatever for their fix but you know to get as much crack as you want and20 euro an hour.north-inner city, drug-treatment service (September 2007)Crack use and drug dealingThere were few reports from drug-treatment services of users dealing crack to fundtheir habit. Dealers who were also users were less likely to maintain sufficient profitsto sustain their habit, as their addiction could lead them to consume their supply:Some people would be dealing. That’s not easily maintained if somebody is dealing and doingcrack. It usually tends to fall apart quite quickly you know. They only last a couple of monthsbefore they either smoke it all, everything and the profit and then end up in debt so it tendsthat that doesn’t last too much.Finglas, drug-treatment service (October 2007)74 Crack cocaine in the Dublin region: an evidence base for a crack cocaine strategy