Background

Researchers and policy makers trying to understand illegal drug use have assumed that there is a direct relationship between ease of access to illegal drug markets and the amount of drug use. The relationship, however, is probably more complex and includes other factors in the community. A more sophisticated approach would take into account the effect of many different community systems, such as police activity and community norms about drug use. A beginning step in applying this approach would ask a number of questions: Are residents of neighborhoods in which drugs are sold also likely to be drug users? Are these residents more or less likely to be drug users than residents of other community locations? Do residents of wealthy areas travel to low income areas to purchase illegal drugs?

By developing greater understanding of how drug sales occur in communities, prevention efforts can be developed to reduce drug supply and drug use more effectively.

 

The Current Study

Data were obtained in 1991 to 1993 from the Fighting Back community evaluation sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This evaluation was conducted to assess the impact of community-wide intervention programs aimed at reducing alcohol and drug use. As part of the evaluation, a general population survey was conducted that included telephone interviews with persons from 21 communities, 20 of which were urban metropolitan areas. This study examines the responses from the 20 urban areas and includes 16,083 individual respondents. Responses were analyzed separately for youth and adults using techniques that considered the differences among responses in different zip codes.

 

Results

Increased drug availability in geographic areas surrounding local neighborhood areas were related to higher drug use in those local areas. This suggests that drug users travel from one neighborhood to nearby neighborhoods to obtain drugs in urban communities in the United States. Young drug users in particular appear to be targeted by drug sellers outside of their own neighborhoods – perhaps in places where youth generally hang out, like malls, parks, athletic fields, and stadiums.

By examining the location of drug availability and its relationship to self-reported drug use, we can begin to understand the nature of drug markets. This is especially important for designing preventive interventions that focus on reducing both the use and supply of drugs. These findings indicate that preventive interventions designed to reduce drug sales, drug use, and related problems may need to be located within different areas of communities. For instance, interventions designed to reduce drug sales should not necessarily be located in areas where the drug use is greatest, as this study suggests drug markets are more likely to be located in places immediately adjacent to high drug use areas. Efforts to reduce illicit drug use should not be focused in community areas where drug sales are highest. In particular, places that attract young people may provide natural sites to target when developing interventions to reduce and eliminate drug markets. Further development of the community systems framework can determine how these interventions can utilize both formal (e.g., police) and informal (e.g., shopkeepers at malls) control mechanisms to reduce drug availability.

 

The Take-Home Message

Drug users typically do not live in the neighborhoods where they obtain drugs, therefore, the whole community system and its geography should be taken into account when designing drug prevention and intervention strategies.

 

The Reference

An exploratory study examining the spatial dynamics of illicit drug availability and rates of drug use
Journal of Drug Education, 35(1):15-27, 2005.

 

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