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Exploring the Drugs-Crime Connection within the Electronic Dance Music and Hip-Hop Nightclub Scenes
April 7th, 2012 | 
Author: Document Title: Exploring the Drugs-Crime Connection within the Electronic Dance Music and Hip-Hop Nightclub Scenes
Author(s): Tammy L. Anderson, Ph.D. ; Philip R. Kavanaugh ; Ronet Bachman ; Lana D. Harrison
Document No.: 219381
Date Received: August 2007
Award Number: 2004-IJ-CX-0040
Exploring the Drug-Crime Connection Report (PDF)
Purpose and Objectives. The main research objective of project 2004-IJ-CX-0040 was to explore how the cultural ethos, behavioral norms, activities, and individual and group identities (i.e., subcultural phenomena), inherent to the electronic dance music (EDM- trance, house, and techno music) and the hip hop/rap (HH) nightclub scenes in Philadelphia, impacted the relationship between alcohol, drugs, and crime, with additional attention to victimization (i.e., the ADC + V link). These two music scenes provide a major source of leisure activity for many young adults today, yet the subcultures surrounding them are disparate and have been linked to diverse social problems, including alcohol and illegal drug abuse, criminal activity and victimization. This understudied, but increasingly popular social phenomenon has the potential to expand the scope of the drugs/crime debate to settings and populations not previously studied and to increasingly salient issues in contemporary society.
Secondary objectives include elaborating on how the ADC + V relationship varies by two dimensions: the demographic make-up of participants (e.g., race/ethnicity and gender) and their involvement with and commitment to the subcultures surrounding the respective nightclub scenes. This second dimension has the potential to establish a typology or profile of EDM and HH fans, which can be used to advance both an academic understanding of this important youth culture phenomena and produce effective prevention or intervention strategies to circumvent personal and social consequences.
Research Questions. Main research questions include: 1) What are the patterns and meanings of drug and alcohol use among participants in these settings and what consequences arise from them? 2) What are the patterns of criminal activity among participants and how are they experienced? 3) What are the patterns of victimization among participants and how is it experienced? How does victimization differ from that documented in other settings of criminological interest? 4) What is the nature of the relationship between alcohol, drugs, crime and victimization and how do subcultural phenomena impact it? 5) How do extant theories fare in explaining the ADC + V link among the diverse groups of participants in both nightclub settings?
We begin our report with a discussion of the two music scenes we studied: HH and EDM, giving special attention to the problems and concerns they present to the criminal justice system and other social service agencies. Next, we discuss the methodology we used to address our research questions, including some of the issues we faced while doing the fieldwork and the potential contributions and limitations of it. The major section of the report reviews our substantive findings. We organize them by the research questions listed above. Specifically, we first review the drugs, crime, and victimization patterns we found. The findings synthesize several types of crime information: self-reports of offending and victimization, and reports of having witnessed others committing crime or being victimized at club events from in-depth interviews and field notes from direct observation at club events. Included in our discussion of the alcohol, drugs, crime and victimization patterns are demographic variation where we found it (addressing our project’s secondary objectives). Next, we address questions #4 and #5 about the alcohol, drugs and crime link at nightclub events. Here, we review our findings and offer contributions to extant criminological theories. Recommendations for further research are also discussed. We end the report with policy recommendations for officials, practitioners, and private interests.
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Posted in Alcohol Sales, Bartenders, Managing Alcohol Serving Environments, Uncategorized | 
Tags: bar, binge drinking, illegal drugs, nightclub | 
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AFTER PHYSICAL EXERCISE, TRY A BEER
by Markham Heid
Hoping to bounce back quickly after your next big race? Stock your fridge, not your medicine cabinet.
Wheat beer reduces post-marathon muscle inflammation and respiratory illness, according to a new study from a group of German and American researchers. And no, we’re not messing with you.
Researchers recruited 277 marathoners, and asked each to drink 34 to 50 ounces of either non-alcoholic wheat beer or a specially designed placebo drink with the same amount of calories and carbs. The participants drank the test liquids every day for 3 weeks leading up to last year’s Munich Marathon (where else would scientists perform beer tests?), and for two weeks following the race.
After the marathon, the researchers measured the participants’ levels of muscle inflammation. They also kept track of whether the marathoners were experiencing signs of respiratory illness, a common post-race condition.
The results: The beer drinkers were more than three times less likely to experience upper-respiratory infection, and their markers for inflammation were 20 to 32 percent lower than the placebo group’s.
So what’s the explanation for this sudsy miracle? “Polyphenols,” according to David Nieman, Dr.P.H., a professor at Appalachian State University and one of the Munich Marathon researchers.
Polyphenols are an antioxidant chemical found in many plants and fruits. “Polyphenols have antiviral properties, they help regulate the immune system, and they help to down-regulate genes that are related to turning on inflammation and stress,” Nieman explains. “And beer has a lot of polyphenols.”
There’s a growing body of research that shows polyphenols can act as a more-effective substitute for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, which Nieman says is many marathoner’s post-race “drug of choice.”
Nieman says polyphenols are most effective when ingested in combinations. That’s why wheat beer, which contains many different types of polyphenols, was perfect for the study.
And here’s the best news: Regular, alcoholic wheat beer includes double the polyphenols of non-alcoholic wheat beer. So, Nieman explains, you could theoretically get the same benefit from drinking half the amount prescribed by the study—or about one pint per day for three weeks leading up to your next race. Cheers!
Not a beer guy? Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole wheat, and legumes are also good sources of polyphenols
40 Charged With Buying Fake IDs From China
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Friday announced misdemeanor citations for 40 purchasers of fake IDs shipped from China.
The charges follow a months-long investigation into counterfeit driver’s licenses purchased online from China, Dart said during a Friday news conference.
“These are incredibly high-quality fakes,” Dart said Friday. “Even for the experts, they’re unnerved by it as well.”
More than 1,700 fake licenses have been intercepted locally this year. The licenses apparently were being ordered online from China and arrived in packages of anywhere from two IDs to 48.
Those charged are between 17 and 20 years old and live in the northwest suburbs, Dart said. Some attend a local high school, though most are in college.
They could have faced felony charges, but the sheriff’s office chose to intercept the IDs and give misdemeanor citations, which come with 25 hours of community service and fines.
Dart on Friday warned other young adults thinking of ordering IDs that exposing their personal information “is sort of a financial manipulator’s dream come true.”
It can easily lead to identity theft, he said.
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/40-Charged–126018473.html#ixzz1qk47AQV2
Generous Justin’s gift to Giants: Here’s Johnnie!
By DON KAPLAN
Last Updated: 1:06 PM, February 8, 2012
Posted: 1:08 AM, February 8, 2012
Those grins the Giants were sporting yesterday during their trip through the Canyon of Heroes may have gotten a boost from a nip or two of “Blue” booze.
Moments before the Giants left the Meadowlands to celebrate their incredible Super Bowl win, each member of the team — including the coaches and the front office — were given a custom engraved 750 milliliter bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue whiskey, a gift from gregarious defensive end Justin Tuck.
“I wanted to give the guys on the team, the coaches and everyone who got us to Indianapolis a personal gift to thank them for everything that they’ve done,” Tuck said.
$220 bottles of Johnnie Walker
Each bottle had the player’s name and Super Bowl XLVI champions engraved on it. The total tally for 80 bottles was $17,600.
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“Johnnie Walker is kind of a working man’s drink,” fellow defensive end Dave Tollefson said of the premium scotch, which goes for $40-$50 a drink. “Johnnie Walker and some Coke. It just speaks to the attitude of our team, and the type of guy he is.”
An eyewitness said minutes after Tuck delivered the bottles to his pals around 8 a.m., some players were seen scrambling to their cars to stow the precious bottles, which sell for around $220 each.
“To be a Super Bowl champion, not once, but twice is a dream, and I wanted to give something special to the teammates and coaches that made the dream possible,” Tuck said. “My hope is that they share this with the friends and family who helped them achieve not only this individual win, but the journey to it!”
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/generous_justin_gift_to_teammates_XPRd42bwbuWWxkhaB9PhdI#ixzz1lwPpIxm7
Vodka can boost problem solving and creativity, finds study
Source: NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COMBY JOE GREENE
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
I could probably do a better job writing this story if I had consumed some vodka first.
Scientists from the University of Chicago concluded in a recent study that men who are under the influence, but also not legally drunk, were faster and more creative in solving word association problems than men who were sober.
The study, published online in Consciousness and Cognition on Jan. 28, said that sober men approached the task more deliberately, according to psychology graduate student Andrew Jarosz.
This could be why many musicians and artists claim to be more creative after imbibing, researcher Jennifer Wiley was quoted as saying on Gizmodo.com.
“A composer or artist fixated on previous work may indeed find creative benefits from intoxication,” Wiley said.
In the study, two groups of 20 social drinkers were asked to perform a creative problem-solving task, according to an article on the study in sciencenews.org, and the results from both groups were comparable.
Then, both groups watched an animated movie. The volunteers in one of the groups ate a snack and drank enough of a vodka cranberry drink to bring their blood alcohol level just under the 0.08 percent legal limit; the other group of volunteers didn’t eat or drink.
Both groups then took part in another creative problem-solving task. Those with a buzz solved more questions on average, and did so in less time, than those who were clear-headed.
The results of the study support findings of a group at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Psychologist J. Scott Saults’ team related that individuals under the influence become less afraid to make mistakes, which could increase creativity, sciencenews.org reported.
So drink up, and start writing.
Posted in Alcohol Consumption, Alcohol Sales, Bartenders, impairment, Uncategorized |
Tags: drinking, Selling Alcohol |
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