Sex and drugs
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Drugs and prostitution are related in that some drug addicts, most commonly heroin or crack cocaine users, obtain their drugs primarily through prostitution. They may receive money (which is used to pay for drugs), or they may receive the drug in trade for sex. Such addicts most commonly take part in street prostitution, as they typically lack the resources to work independently from a private residence or be escort prostitutes, and many brothels do not want to employ visible drug users.
The stereotype of a drug addict who uses prostitution to finance his/her habit, particularly for prostitutes who are crack cocaine users (often called "crack whores" or "Blueberries") is of someone whose health and perhaps intellect have been damaged by drug abuse, and who will accept any client for very little payment. They are often assumed to have frequent unsafe sex without contraception.
Street drug dealing and prostitution are often closely related, with many street-level drug dealers also acting as pimps and vice versa.
It is notable that in affluent countries such as the United States and Western Europe the correlation between street prostitution and illegal drug use is high. In contrast, many prostitutes in the developing world are primarily motivated by the need for subsistence earnings for themselves or dependents. However, drugs and prostitution are increasingly becoming connected in urban areas in the developing world, for example in urban areas in Karachi and Thailand.
Not all prostitutes who use recreational drugs are driven to prostitution by their habit, but the two subcultures are still closely linked, perhaps as much because of their shared illegality (in jurisdictions where prostitution is illegalized) as anything else.
See also
- Drug addiction
- Prostitution
- Crack baby
- Rent (musical)
- Requiem for a Dream
- Sex and drugs
