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Drug impact Zones
Drug impact zones, sometimes referred to as drug hot spots, is a theorem of criminology by Dr. George Rengert of Temple University that deals with the geographic locations of illegal drug markets and how they sustain business and profitability with little to no interference from law enforcement or the general public. Location and economic situations in neighborhoods surrounding the markets play a major role in determining where and how these drug markets are operated. Illegal drug markets tend to be spatially concentrated and locations depend on whether the customers it is servicing are local or regional. A market has to be strategically opened and ran in order to serve the customers it is looking for without attracting unwanted attention from competition and law enforcement. As well as looking for an optimal geographic location to set up shop, markets have to be spaced out according to the customer’s location, good locations allow for ready access, bring in large amounts of customers and increase potential sales.

Geographic Perspective
When drug dealers are looking to open a new market, locations is arguably the most important aspect to being able to turn a profit. Some cities are more suited for operation of a market than others. If one city is too deteriorated or run down then a market would not be able to survive, because there are no available networks of suppliers, or customers to maintain such a market. On the other hand, seeking to set up in a more affluent city or section of a city could bring its own set of problems, for example, lack of protection from police, or a surrounding public who are more invested in keeping their neighborhood safe and clean. It would be in the best interest of the dealers to look for a location that has more social disorganization, which would allow for illegal markets to come in unopposed and take advantage of the vulnerable environment. In this sort of location, a drug market has more chance to thrive with more customers, especially if the market its self is in close proximity to a major roadway, less police presence or activity and a public with that is less capable of resisting the invasion of a drug market than other, better off cities.

Spatial Aspects
In order for a drug market to be successful, they must be strategically placed in relations to customer traffic, police presence, and spatial relation to one another. If customer traffic and presence is the determining factor as to where drug markets are to be located, then understanding what customers the markets are catering to is critical. If the targeted clientele is mainly coming from out of town, or outside the local region, then it would be wise for a market to be placed near a large highway artery that can bring in customers to a specific area and quickly allow them to leave the city. However, if the market is targeting locals, then it would be more practical for transactions to be held in more secluded areas of town that have easy accessibility to the local customers but that also stay away from large roads that can caused undesired attention to be brought onto the markets from outsiders, specifically law enforcement.

Hot Spots
Hot spots are areas of high crimes rates, especially in small concentrated locations. These exist when various types of crimes are all feeding into and facilitating other crimes to happen. For instance, once a drug market has been established, the higher the chances of a prostitution ring to be brought into the area to maximize profits. Another effect of having a growing drug market is the gang violence over competition for the market and its profits. Within these hot spots there are a wide range of characters who are working to sell their product on the streets. On a large scale there are organized crime syndicates pushing there drugs, then on a regional or local level there are more flexible groups like urban gangs operating and lastly individual sellers on a very small but specific level. Once a hot spot arises, police are forced to use a large amount of their resources to crackdown on these areas. House raids, and sweep tactics are used by police to rid the area of dealers and gang violence, however these are only temporary solutions as once police presence is no longer felt, the drug dealers come back and set up shop again.