Community Characteristics and Methamphetamine Use: A Social Disorganization Perspective

Abstract

The current study applied the first macro-level analysis of methamphetamine use. The extant literature on macro-level drug use has suggested that areas with high levels of social disorganization experience high rates of drug use. In this study it was expected that school districts with low SES and high rates of ethnic heterogeneity, residential instability and family disruption will experience high rates of methamphetamine use. In addition, it was expected that rural and suburban school districts would show higher rates than urban school districts. Social disorganization hypotheses were partially supported as low economic status and residential instability are associated with methamphetamine use. Interestingly, a high percentage of white population is positively associated with methamphetamine use. Further, school districts in the southwest region of Michigan were significantly more likely to have higher percentages of methamphetamine users.