Using Crack in a Vulnerability Context: Social Representations and Practices among Users

The aim of this study was to understand the contexts in which crack is being used. We interviewed 14 crack users in different locations and data were analyzed using category-based content analysis. The results indicate that the representations used in these contexts characterize crack as a drug of destruction, which influences the way of consuming the drug, described by episodes of intense intake, with organic deterioration and damage to health. We concluded that consideration of context as the unit of analysis implies a theoretical possibility of embracing the circularity of knowledge, because it resumes production of meanings, without making it stagnant to a group or population.

Keywords:
social representation; crack (drug); drug use; drugs; social issues