Rural and Urban Differences in Nebraskans' Access to Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Heroin, and Prescription Pills. (October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Habecker, Patrick; Welch-Lazoritz, Melissa; Dombrowski, Kirk
• Is Part Of: Journal of drug issues. Volume 48:Number 4(2018)
• Page Start: 608
• Page End: 624
• Publication Date: 2018-10
• Subjects: drug access -- rural and urban comparison -- United States -- Nebraska; Drug abuse -- Periodicals; Drug and Narcotic Control -- Periodicals; Substance-Related Disorders -- Periodicals; Toxicomanie -- Périodiques; 362.29305
• DOI: 10.1177/0022042618786717
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-0426

Abstract

The ability of a user to access a given type of drug is related to the configuration of the market for that drug, and a range of economic and criminal justice concerns. This study focuses on Nebraskan's "ready access" to four types of drugs (marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, and prescription pills) in 2016, using a statewide survey of housed Nebraskan adults. Ready access is defined as a participant knowing at least one person from whom they could obtain a given type of drug if they wanted to. We found that 35% of adult Nebraskans knew at least one person from whom they could obtain marijuana, 8.9% for methamphetamine, 4.5% for heroin, and 17.8% knew at least one source for prescription pills. Relationships between knowing a source for each type of drug and rurality, sex, race, religious attendance, mental health symptoms, and education are explored.