The stigmatized image of the "crack head": a sociocultural exploration of a barrier to cocaine smoking among a cohort of youth in New York City

Using ethnographic methods and sociological theory, this article explores some reasons why a cohort of young adults have apparently eschewed the use of cocaine in an environment that would usually put them at risk for drug abuse. The diffusion of the idea "crack head" into drug subcultures and the stigmatized status attached to it appears to have protected some young adults from using cocaine. It is assumed that this cohort of adolescents took pride in not using crack cocaine and were acutely aware of the shame of being designated as a crack head by their peers The fear of being cast as a crack head appears to have acted as a barrier to their cocaine use.