Eighth-graders in small towns and rural areas are more likely than their urban counterparts to use alcohol and drugs. Small town teens are 50 percent more likely to use cocaine than suburban teens. This information was obtained from a January 2000 study released at the U.S. Conference of Mayors titled “No Place to Hide.”
Experts said that rural areas are especially vulnerable to certain drugs because the strong odor can be easily hidden. Drug dealers find it easier to operate in small towns, and drug smugglers are moving into rural areas.
The study showed that rural eighth-graders were:
- Twice as likely to have used amphetamines, including methamphetamines, than those in large metropolitan areas
- 83 percent more likely to have used crack cocaine
- 34 percent more likely to have smoked marijuana
- 29 percent more likely to have drank alcohol
- 70 percent more likely to have been intoxicated
- More than twice as likely to have smoked cigarettes
- Nearly five times more likely to have used smokeless tobacco