Last year, Don was a college student in the Chicago suburbs, dealing marijuana and mushrooms to a small circle of friends. Bill, a college buddy, introduced him to Jack, who became Don's best client, providing much of the 600 bucks Don pulled in every month. He set up two fellow students to expunge the drug charge from his record. You can either serve the time or buy someone else to serve it for you.
Finks are big business.
So finkers, fearing long stints in the joint, reach out and touch someone. Grateful Dead concerts are exceptionally fertile ground. Rob Lake, doing time in a prison in Jefferson City, Mo., was set up by a Deadhead after being approached at a concert. But the new Congress' spin on the bill may ensure that finking will persist, except for the few dealers who maintain some semblance of honor. Deadhead M. Reddick still has more than three years left on the sentence he is serving in Maxwell, Ala., because he wouldn't rat on anyone else.