Similarly, access to cocaine and other illicit substances may be easier in inner cities, which are usually ports of entry for foreign and regional cartels. Demand for methamphetamine may be linked to the availability of other substances in urban centers.
If access to cocaine, heroin, and other drugs is limited in rural areas then it is also likely that the prevalence of methamphetamine in rural regions is linked to consumer demand. Manufacturing methamphetamine is relatively simple, and in some ways easier than traveling to a distant city to procure drugs. The drug is also fairly inexpensive to make yet can supplement incomes through its sale on the black market. Drug and alcohol abuse is relatively common in rural areas, even those with few cocaine or heroin problems ("Meth a Growing Menace in Rural America" 2004). Ennui may be one factor driving individuals to drugs. Other explanations include the breakdown of families and social isolation, which lead to anomie and deviant behaviors. Poverty in rural areas might also fuel the methamphetamine trade.
References
Brain, PF & Coward, GA (1989). A review of the history, actions,...
J Subst Abuse 1(4):431-51. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.cocaine.org/history/review.html
Brecher, E.M. (1972). Nineteenth-century America - a "dope fiend's paradise." The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cu1.html
Burnett, L.B. & Adler, J. (2008). Toxicity, cocaine. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/813959-overview
Cauchon, D. (1999). Zero-tolerance policies lack flexibility. USA Today. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.usatoday.com/educate/ednews3.htm
Drug Enforcement Agency. Chapter 1: The Controlled Substances Act. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/abuse/1-csa.htm#Schedule%20V
History of Cocaine, Medical Use." Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/coc03.htm
Hosztafi, S. (2001). The
history of heroin. Acta Pharm Hungary 71(2): 233-242. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://opioids.com/heroin/historyheroin.html
Marlatt, G.A. (2007). Harm reduction works. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/youthissues/1046349581.html
Meth a Growing Menace in Rural America." (2004) NPR. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3805074
Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Heroin. Retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.drugfree.org/portal/drug_guide/heroin
Spillane, J.P. (2000). Cocaine: From
medical marvel to modern menace in the United States, 1884-1920. Review retrieved Feb 1, 2009 at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Cocaine:+From+medical+marvel+to+modern+menace+in+the+United+States,...-a082066768
