Impact of exchange of cigarettes and drugs on the society

This essay analyzes and evaluates the impact of social process on the exchange of cigarettes and drugs. The influences of the social practices on the process of social exchange of drugs as well as cigarettes and the drug market will be discussed.

Anthropology
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Title: Impact of exchange of cigarettes and drugs on the society
The marketplaces of the illegal drugs are produced and reproduced through complex and
dynamic social processes and relations. The dominant conceptions of the drug markets are
being driven by the demand and supply mechanism that largely ignores the constituents of
social relations. The drug markets are being framed by the thinking and behaviour of the
market actors that are being comprised through power differentials, cultural understanding,
and social relations. The purpose of this essay is to analyze and evaluate the impact of social
process on the exchange of cigarettes and drugs. In this essay, the influences of the social
practices on the process of social exchange of drugs as well as cigarettes and the drug market
will be discussed. Along with this, this essay will also include analysis of the complex social
processes and relations associated with drug dealing.
In this paragraph, the impact of the society on the dealing of cigar rates and drugs in the
market has been analyzed. The stigmatizing and dominant constructions of the heroin sellers
and users reveal that they are engaged in these activities in their everyday life and also face
struggles (Fraser and Moore, 2011). The cigarette and heroine exchange between market
participants depicts that their behaviour plays a significant role in shaping the market. The
exchange is depicted to be a process of social exchange and drug market is being influenced
by cultural and social practices (Dwyer, 2011). An examination was carried out with the
Vietnamese heroine users-dealers in a heroine market in the Footscray, a suburb of the
Melbourne. The author was an ethnographer to understand the social exchange within the
drug marketplace. Heroine exchange between the market participants is similar to the
cigarette exchanges (Marron, 2017). The social exchange theory is referred to as a
psychological theory which studies the social behaviour during the implementation of the
cost benefit analysis for determining he risks as well a the benefits. According to the Social
exchange theory, the social behaviour is considered to be the result of the exchange process.
The chief purpose of the exchange is to decrease cost and maximize benefits. People weigh
the risks and benefits of social relationships.
In this paragraph, the complex social processes as well as relationship between that impose
impact on the exchange of drugs and cigarettes has been discussed. The social relationship
has depicted to be shaping the exchange of drug within the marketplace. It is being found that
most of the drug transactions occurred within the open air mall of Footscray and dominated
by the Aussie customers and Vietnamese dealers. Aussie consisted of a mixture of people

from second generation eastern or southern European backgrounds and Anglo Celtic.
Vietnamese is the language used by the dealers during conversation, drug transactions, and
preferred language. The chief reason behind this is that majority of the individual are not
aware of the Vietnamese language. Rönkä and Katainen, (2017) stated that majority of the
drug dealers communicate in Vietnamese language just to ensure that peple outside their
gang, common people and the police are unable to understand their conversation. Thus this
technique involves using an unknown language as a code language. Somerville, (2012)
pointed out another major tactic that is used for communicating with the drug dealers
includes collecting cell phone data of the potential victim. The marketplace depicted the
participants have to also face challenges and problems (Dwyer and Moore, 2010). The
ethnographic research depicted that the process of exchange is considered to be very much
important because thousands of drug-related exchanges occur each and every day. The
exchanges depicted that there is an establishment of social relationships which is important
for regulating the marketplace. The involvement of people allows circulating the social
processes because these are re-negotiated and negotiated through the social action. The
public nature of the marketplace enabled to observe the daily lives of the people within the
market place (Somerville, 2012).
In this paragraph the positive impact of cigarette on the society has been analysed. Cigarettes
among smokers are positive gifts as it creates a favorable impression and assists to foster
goodwill. In the drug marketplace of Footscary, the participants managed in meeting their
material desires and purchase heroin on a constant basis with the implementation of broad
range of the creative stratagems. The tobacco supply is low on the priority list. The repeated
offering of cigarettes to smokers increases the interests to remember each other. For example,
‘You are here’ or ‘I saw you yesterday’ in order to draw the connection. According to the
theory of socialization, regular conversation between individuals results in development of
bonge between them and this is beneficial for the society
The expansion of social relationship depends on mutual liking or offering broader
satisfaction. The acceptance process is being achieved through the exchange of cigarettes.
Repeated offerings show the willingness to provide cigarettes and willingness of developing a
connection with the people. The request of cigarette can be considered as ‘demand sharing’
rather than ‘give me a cigarette’. Demand sharing shows the relatedness between demander
and donor through the assumption of the right of asking and expecting that the demand would
be met (Tenaglia-Webster, 2009). The business of heroin is also depicted to be growing due

to the enhancement of social relationship. The dealers in the marketplace know very well the
benefit of communicating in the language that is being understood either by the police or
their customers. The development of communication between the market participants and
customers is also supporting the exchange process. The exchange is a significant way in
which individuals maintain and create a social hierarchy. Age, culture, and thinking are the
core features of the social hierarchy. The exchange process enables people to determine each
other in completing the whole process (Chambers, 2011). This it can be understood that
exchange of cigarettes possess direct relationship with the development of relationship
between individuals in the society. The market exchange is characterized by barter or trader
and gift exchange or reciprocal characterized by assisting and sharing relied on the mutual
obligation and determined as per the kinship and social relations. Social relationships have
shaped the available opportunities through the exchange of heroin showing similar social
processes in case of cigarette exchange. Individuals who exchange cigarettes and drug with
each other possess regular communication this in turn, helps them to develop an effective
relationship between them. not only this regular communication also result in development of
empathy, likelihood as well as friendship among individuals .
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that that cigarette and drug exchange impose
high impact on the society. While exchanging the mentioned addictives it has been found that
an effective bondage between individuals in the society is getting developed. This in turn is
imposing positive impact on the social communication. The exchange of cigarette and
heroine is seen to be achieved with the circulation of the social process. The development of
social relations assists to regulate the business of drugs. People involved with drugs activities
are able to identify and position individuals on the basis of offerings and exchange.

References
Chambers, C. (2011). Market. 3rd ed. London: A. & C. Black.
Dwyer, R. (2011). The social life of smokes: Processes of exchange in a heroin marketplace.
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