EVERYONE is a drug dealer

[CommonOrNot]

Bear with me…

I have name changed for this for seemingly obvious reasons. Yesterday, I was at the hairdressers getting my usual weekly services chatting as usual to my hairdresser - who every single week I’m there is dating a new drug dealer. She is very much a “glam” type. Neither of these things are uncommon in my city.

She then turns to the woman next to me and starts chatting about said woman’s partner and when he’s going to be on day release from prison and how he’s getting XYZ done cosmetically but it’s ok because the prison thinks he has a business so the money won’t be from dealing. (In other words, he’s still very much running an enterprise from behind bars). Again not uncommon in my area.

it got me thinking, in my city almost everyone has some sort of connection to dealing drugs. at all levels. I’m not exaggerating, I can’t think of a single person that doesn’t either deal themselves or is close friends with someone who does. All the women are dressed head to toe in designer, surgery, etc. the males have big cars, watches, designer clothes. It’s quite rare to see anyone under 30 without this aesthetic.

the 35+ generation maybe not so much but I would say all people I know in this age bracket absolutely have ties to someone who is a dealer.

before anyone comments that people may have the money for this aesthetic through legitimate reasons, I myself have a “flash” car, designer clothes, cosmetic procedures etc. but through running businesses and my partner being a well payed professional. I’m talking specifically about people that I know are dealers, and when I was thinking about it last night I was actually baffled how there seems to be so many.

PS I know there are people that work to have what they have, I’m talking about my city specifically being particularly dense with criminal activity and I’m wondering if it’s a regional thing or not. Where you are, is this the case?

Err - depends where you live. I’m in south Liverpool and I don’t know a single drug dealer. I’ve just asked my 23 year old son if he does - no.
I know one family who have a drug dealer neighbour - in Sheffield. My son lived next to a drug dealer last year - in Cambridge.

I think that a great deal more people are involved in drugs than is known. Perhaps not everybody is involved but many more will have some form of connection.

They're not blind to it. It's like whack a mole. Take one out another one pops up in its place.

You lost me at "weekly services".

I’m South Liverpool and can honestly say I easily know 10/15 drug dealers, from people I went to school with, family friends and neighbours, you wouldn’t know what they done unless you knew them, saying that most people don’t make it a secret anymore. The city is rife for it… still the best city in my biased opinion 😂

In Northern Ireland this is the norm in many communities. There are a lot of Jekyll and Hydes, ostensibly 'respectable' people, and not all young either, who deal drugs on the side. It is utterly endemic in working class loyalist communities, and normalised. Nearly all weed and coke, we don't have a significant heroin problem. Lots of flash cars and luxury holidays, caravans and garden rooms on ratty council estates. On the plus side, most of the paramilitaries themselves have now developed coke addictions and are dropping like flies, that's natural selection I guess.

I can imagine the experience, but I do find it hard to comprehend having so much disposable income that I could spend it on having my hair washed when I can do it myself....How the other half live etc.

If you’re hearing these conversations OP are you reporting any of it to the police.

Wow.
What an upsetting post

Massive nope from me.

im afraid my first thought was ‘is this the north west’?

i have some connections to the area and have multiple stories of drug dealing amongst the wider circles of friends or friends of relatives. There are always clues and suspicions….designer goods, tweakments, new cars etc without corresponding sources of income.

it seems to me that there’s slightly less intolerance of dealing as a sideline…more wilful blindness to the harm caused and acceptance of the spoils when said drug-dealer friends are happy to treat them eg to meals, trips away etc.

I wouldn't even know where to find drugs, let alone know any dealers

I’m South Liverpool and can honestly say I easily know 10/15 drug dealers, from people I went to school with, family friends and neighbours, you wouldn’t know what they done unless you knew them, saying that most people don’t make it a secret anymore. The city is rife for it… still the best city in my biased opinion

Yep this. People on here say they don't know any drug dealers just don't know they're drug dealers. I think as well telly portrays dealers as dodgy street corner dealers when that's not the reality. The portrayal of drug dealers in Top Boy is alien to me but I'm sure they exist. Round here you ring them up and they deliver. I live in a small semi rural village full of old people and dealing has been going on there too. The retired guys that keep the park tidy even found weed stashed under a rock there.

The Northwest is a rather large area 🙄

Your kids.

HTH

I can imagine the experience, but I do find it hard to comprehend having so much disposable income that I could spend it on having my hair washed when I can do it myself

I find going to the hairdresser the most tedious experience ever. Sitting there while someone faffs with your hair, offers you cups of coffee and shit magazines, and talks about their druggie boyfriend or where you're going on holiday. The whole concept of "pampering" makes me want to run away screaming. Not a money issue, just a "I have so many more things i'd rather be doing" thing.

We laugh that we look like the drug dealers on the street. Funnily enough I am pretty sure our neighbours are dealers (many different cars visit frequently).

But we are the ones early 30s, largest house on the street. Around double in size so not small increase. Constantly doing building work, have tradesmen in. Nicest and newest cars. We don’t work 9-5 as work for ourselves. I wear a dressing gown half the day. So probably looks like we don’t do anything. But we never really have visitors, so we look like the kingpins as opposed the mid level dealers. I don’t have Botox or anything of the sort.

Yes, I understand this OP. It's insidious. And yes, your young adult kids will know a drug dealer.

Last night on the train I overheard a young woman - maybe 20ish, looked like any of my kids, on the phone arranging where to meet her mates in a 'Spoons and also where to meet their dealer. Commuter train, Essex. Just one example.

You need a better circle of friends! The only drug dealers I'm aware of are two that I know people are trying to evict for not paying rent (and running a drugs business from the house) but are struggling to enforce it!

I think this is just the 'Costco' effect. Keener prices for larger quantities, so you sell your excess to your mates. Once it's common in your social circle, then it appears that everyone is doing it.
The key question is whether Michael Gove, former Education Secretary was buying or selling the dinner party coke.

The amount of shite that comes out of politicians mouths most of them must be on it - cutting across party lines - Shapps, Donelan, Lammy, Butler, Moran must be on some kind of drug

Sunak, Starmer and Davey look like the sort who'd tell teacher

Unless one's a user then meeting those who openly deal is unlikely.

If you hang around Salford Precinct there will be dealers but they don't advertise and you're unlikely to recognise them,

🤣🤣🤣🤣 miaow! funny though.

I have known a few drug dealers but they were certainly not in my immediate social circle, one of them was a major player in the Class A network and ended up doing a long bit of jail time. Certainly not people I would want to hang around with. One of the arguments for decriminalising drugs is to stop all the associated criminality, exploitation and associated violence.

Tbf Salford has changed beyond all.recognition. since I lived there in the 90,s although I don't doubt there are drug dealers particularly on Salford precinct
It attracts a far different type of person these days .