Drugs in the Heartland: Methamphetamine Use in Rural Nebraska, Research in Brief

• NCJ Number: 180986
• Author(s): Denise C. Herz
• Date Published: April 2000
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research in Brief
• Grant Number(s): 98-IJ-CX-0065
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

The use of methamphetamine, which migrated from the West Coast to the Midwest and affected Omaha among other cities, is also being detected in rural areas of Nebraska.

Abstract

The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program has revealed that use of methamphetamine, a powerful central nervous system stimulant, has increased among arrestees in several of the program's test sites. Among those sites was Omaha, where between 1990-98, the proportion of adult male arrestees who used the drug increased from less than 1 percent to more than 10 percent. To determine whether meth was also penetrating rural Nebraska, use patterns were measured in four rural counties, and the findings were compared with patterns in Omaha. In several respects, the rural counties resembled the city in the use of methamphetamine and the characteristics of users. Meth users, irrespective of area, were more likely to be white. Users in the rural counties were younger than those in the city. In certain respects, criminality was greater in the rural areas. Arrestees in the rural areas were just as likely as those in the city to manufacture meth, but were more likely to be involved in selling it. Meth users in the rural sites had more prior offenses than those in Omaha. On the other hand, the amount of illegal income and amount of money spent on drugs were higher among Omaha arrestees. 8 exhibits