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The visibility of illicit drugs: Implications for community-based drug control strategies

Author

Listed:
  • Saxe, L.
  • Kadushin, C.
  • Beveridge, A.
  • Livert, D.
  • Tighe, E.
  • Rindskopf, D.
  • Ford, J.
  • Brodsky, A.

Abstract

Objectives. This study examined differences between the visibility of drugs and drug use in more than 2100 neighborhoods, challenging an assumption about drug use in poor, minority, and urban communities. Methods. A telephone survey assessed substance use and attitudes across 41 communities in an evaluation of a national community-based demand reduction program. Three waves of data were collected from more than 42 000 respondents. Results. Measures of neighborhood disadvantage, population density, and proportion of minority residents explained more than 57% of the variance between census tracts in visibility of drug sales but less than 10% of tract-to-tract variance in drug use. Visible drug sales were 6.3 times more likely to be reported in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods than in the least disadvantaged, while illicit drug use was only 1.3 times more likely. Conclusions. The most disadvantaged neighborhoods have the most visible drug problems, but drug use is nearly equally distributed across all communities. Thus, efforts to address drug-related problems in poorer areas need to take into account the broader drug market served by these neighborhoods.

Suggested Citation

  • Saxe, L. & Kadushin, C. & Beveridge, A. & Livert, D. & Tighe, E. & Rindskopf, D. & Ford, J. & Brodsky, A., 2001. "The visibility of illicit drugs: Implications for community-based drug control strategies," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(12), pages 1987-1994.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:2001:91:12:1987-1994_8
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    Cited by:

    1. Jacobson, Jerry Owen & Robinson, Paul & Bluthenthal, Ricky N., 2007. "A multilevel decomposition approach to estimate the role of program location and neighborhood disadvantage in racial disparities in alcohol treatment completion," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 462-476, January.
    2. Jennings, Jacky M. & Taylor, Ralph B. & Salhi, Rama A. & Furr-Holden, C. Debra M. & Ellen, Jonathan M., 2012. "Neighborhood drug markets: A risk environment for bacterial sexually transmitted infections among urban youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(8), pages 1240-1250.
    3. Amanda Geller & Jeffrey Fagan, 2010. "Pot as Pretext: Marijuana, Race, and the New Disorder in New York City Street Policing," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(4), pages 591-633, December.

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