Do they? Or is that just the picture the media presents?

The drug dealer at our high school had a suped up ricer and they lived in the richest neighborhood in town.

I think you have to ask: why are people dealing drugs?

Some people sell drugs because they are desperate. These people are dealing with extreme poverty, trauma, mental and physical health issues, etc. Their cars are messy.

Other people sell drugs because of the economic opportunity. In my experience, these people pride themselves on cleanliness, timeliness, and customer service. They have clean cars.

Well, what you’re describing is probably more about where you’re connecting rather than the fact that they’re dealing weed illegally.

The illegal drug trade is always a risky one. This means that it runs high to people that are desperate enough to take that risk in order to gain the benefits.

This, in turn, means that when it’s an illegal drug that also runs high to users that are desperate as well, there’s kind of an amplifying effect. The dealers end up not really caring about much other than the money and what it represents. They don’t need a clean house because it’s temporary. They rent knowing they won’t be there long, and will leave as soon as there’s too much heat.

By not keeping their crash neat and full of things that would be desirable, they don’t have to worry about clientele or rivals targeting them as much. They’ll hide their cash as well as they can, and let everything else go to hell.

Now, that is going to vary in percentages depending on the types of drugs they’re selling, and the location. Someone that’s dealing coke, weed, and hallucinogens around a college don’t have the same problems as someone dealing pills and meth near gang turf. But even dealers in nice areas can let things stay trashy, and the ones dealing out of their trailer on the edge of town can keep nice homes (though those tend not to deal out of their crib tbh).

It’s a fairly complicated thing tbh. You’ve got conflicting socioeconomic strata, goals, sources, clientele, and individual background.

As an example, while I can’t smoke weed, I’m an advocate for legalization (and have been since the 90). I’m not shy about talking about it, so I’ve had stoner friends, and dealer friends. Some of those used/sold other things. But the weed only dealers tended to be neater than multi-substance dealers.

One of the dealers dated a family member for a while, and this guy was trailer people. Now, that’s not trailer trash, not up here. We have both. We’ve got folks that live in trailers by choice or economic circumstances, and then there’s the folks that live in trailer parks because it’s cheap and easy to be forgotten while doing whatever you want.

But some of those folks raised in trailers want out and that’s how this guy was, and why he was a dealer. He’d sell weed, some ecstasy, and some acid, move the cash through his mechanic shop, and ended up doing very well. His single wide was spotless. He wasn’t there much, but it stayed nice when he was.

But he was honestly the exception.

When I’d have to go to dealer’s places in the same area, it was never nice. I kinda had a degree of immunity to the bullshit because I was a home health worker, and one of the few that would go to those kinds of places, but it’s just an ugly fact that poverty and a degree of not giving a shit go together. When some is also ignoring social mores to deal drugs, they’re more likely to ignore other social rules like not pissing in a sink full of dirty dishes. And know that because of finding bowls full of piss in sinks. Which is a whole nuther story lol.

Anyway, what I’m getting at is that with you being itinerant, the people willing to sell you weed are most likely the ones that will sell pretty casually. Most of the time, that’s the folks that are dealing out of desperation/need rather than a belief in the free market or against drug laws. This means you’ll see more of the ones that just DNGAF about anything.

If you settled down for a year or two, I think you’d eventually run into dealers that either won’t deal out of their homes, or it’s their actual home, so they treat it better.

Btw, Don, you ask some awesome fucking questions. No bullshit, I think I’ve seen more of your questions that make me think, or draw me in, in other ways, than anyone else. This one may seem a little limited at first glance, but you’ve noticed something that’s a fucking deep indicator of social structures, social norms, and how they’re thought about and portrayed. I dunno if it’s on purpose or not, but I’ve noticed that about your questions here.

I knew a drug dealer back in the day, he was dealing a lot, I was always amazed he didn’t get busted. He drove a pimped out car with a badass system in it, rims, tinted windows, and lowered. A bunch of police officers would hang out where I worked (an auto shop) and dude would drive by and the cops all said they KNOW he’s dealing they just can’t bust him, every time they stop him, he’s clean. I told him about it and he said "Pfft those idiots think I’m dumb enough to deal in this??? Shit, I have a normal car in a rented for cash garage across town I use.

It was plain jane as it gets, not trashed, and not clean. He’d put some shit in it from his mom, some work cloths, and a worn out pair of boots I’m pretty sure he got from somebody else.

What are you basing this opinion on?

i go to the store to buy my drugs now. vote this november for legalization in your state!

I think you need to find better drug dealers.