There are no more drug dealers in America. Now, this is not because of the outrageous failure, which is the government's "War on Drugs," rather, it is about laziness and specialization.
In the mid-to-late 1980s when drugs started to regain popularity, a drug dealer was a virtual supermarket. Whatever drug an individual could have desired, the friendly neighborhood drug dealer had it. It didn't matter if it was cocaine, heroin, marijuana, acid, speed, or what ever else was around at the time. If it were out on the open market, a good drug dealer would have it.
This is not the case in today's market. With the rise of designer party drugs, and popularity of Colombian cocaine lords, drug dealers have become specialists, dealing in only one or two popular drugs. This is especially true now that crystal methanphetimine is such a popular drug.
This discrimination towards drugs has come about for several reasons. The Colombian drug lords popularized the idea of a super-powerful and a super-rich individual. A person with immense and far-reaching influences, the Colombian became a popular figure to Americans who sought only money and power. Because of this, cocaine became the first specialized drug. Dealers for the rich and powerful started to only carry cocaine, because it was the en vogue drug of choice.
Cocaine was quickly followed by crack cocaine as an offshoot of the easy availability of regular cocaine. This drug was highly selective with a target audience that demanded a specialist.
Due to its highly addictive nature, crack cocaine became extremely popular. Because of this, dealers started to only carry crack. It was uneconomical and inefficient to carry a plethora of other drugs. There was no market for them.
Furthermore, the fact that crack was small and easily storable and transportable (far more than cocaine and even pot) created the market for this specialized drug dealer.
With the advent of designer drugs, such as Special-K and Ecstasy, another type of limited dealer came on the scene. This was the rave dealer. These specialists didn't carry cocaine because that was not a high that was sought by the club kids, not to mention the price was too high for the limited income of most youngsters. Pot was again too bulky of a drug and the effect of pot was not the type of high that one wanted to enjoy at a rave scene. Acid was still prevalent at raves, but it had lost its "coolness" with the club kids.
Methamphetamine grew out of the 80s as a speed drug. It first saw a rise among rodeo riders because of its ability to keep people awake and it's adrenaline-like effects. It also had a quality that cocaine could not compare to: it was relatively cheap. However, the specialization of this drug grew more out of a cultural aspect then an economic.
Pot was not viewed highly by the "Okie from Muskogee" crowd, nor were any of the psychotropic drugs. Crystal meth was seen as a tool to be used and was justified. Another aspect of the specialization of crystal meth dealers was the fact that it was relatively easy to produce by a single person, as opposed to a whole team of manufacturers. To boot, the item did not need to be imported and distributed to sellers; the producer could thus easily become the vendor.
Because of these factors, drugs have become a market of specialist dealers. To obtain a drug, one must know a supplier of that one single type of drug. There is almost always some sort of middleman involvement in obtaining the drug, and quality is not guaranteed anymore because the massive influx of the homemade and designer drugs. A buyer does not know from purchase to purchase if they are going to get the same drug.
This has also lead to a marginalization of the drug culture. Drugs used to be a common binding factor in the subculture of America. All drugs were welcomed, and all druggies got along.
Cocaine led to the downfall with its "richer than thou" status users. Now we have an almost complete separation between the drug choice crowds. That is, not to say, that people only use one type of drug and stick with that-that is not how it is at all.
The cross-spectrum drug use is higher now then it has ever been. It is the purchasing method that has caused the problems. Dealers have become so specialized and single-focused that they almost refuse to carry any types of other drugs.
There should be a classification for anyone who wishes to call himself or herself a drug dealer. To be a drug dealer, one should have to deal in at least three different types of drugs. In addition, these drugs should not be in the same category. Three basic categories cover drugs today: psychotropic, downers (mellow drugs), and uppers. To be a dealer, one should have to deal from at least two of the three categories listed above.
Also, the dealer needs to have some reasonable amount of availability to the general public. Three-day phone tag will only drive people to drink and there by destroy the dealers' clientele. There should be some honor in choosing the profession of being a drug dealer and risking prison to provide people with pleasure. But along with the honor goes responsibility to the customer.