NCJ Number
179093
Date Published
1998
Length
73 pages
Annotation
This study attempts to determine how rural communities can be reached effectively with drug prevention interventions.
Abstract
The study included a review of the literature on rural drug use, on rurality itself, on rural drug prevention initiatives, and analysis of findings from four projects. Drugs are widely available and widely used in rural areas, but there is no consensus on how it compares with urban drug misuse. Drugs availability has increased in rural areas, the nature and extent of use varies within given areas and, in keeping with national trends, cannabis is the drug most commonly used. The principal distinguishing feature in undertaking drug prevention in rural areas is the marked reluctance to acknowledge drug misuse as a problem in rural communities. A concern that involvement in drugs prevention initiatives might suggest that individuals or their families may have drug misuse problems is an important barrier in community-based work. This concern applies to parents in particular, and often extends to community groups and organizations which, in urban settings, are potential partners in prevention initiatives. Notes, tables, bibliography