Shake, Bake, and Roll: A Place-Level Analysis of Methamphetamine Use and Production

• In Event: Understanding the Community Context of Substance Use

Abstract

Methamphetamine use and distribution remain pervasive problems in the United States. The use of methamphetamine has been correlated with a host of peripheral social and health problems ranging from instrumental crime to the spread of sexual transmitted diseases. Similarly, the environmental damage caused by the domestic manufacture of methamphetamine is well documented. There is a dearth of research regarding the relationship between domestic production, drug availability, arrests, and measures of social disorganization. Absent understanding of these relationships, legislators and law enforcement officials lack guidance in crafting and enforcing effective policy. This study utilizes NIBRS, decennial census, and American Community Survey data to examine relationships between place-level measures of social disorganization, meth production, arrests for possession of methamphetamine, and quantity of meth seized between 2000 and 2009.

Authors

• Rick Dierenfeldt, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Shaun Thomas, University of Arkansas at Little Rock