Citation

Donnermeyer JF, Tunnell KD. Rural Real. 2007; 2(2): online.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Rural Sociological Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The abuse of methamphetamine (or meth) is dramatically evident in the "before and after" faces of meth arrestees. Yet these pictures provide only a glimpse of the larger personal, environmental, and community fallout from methamphetamine use and production, an issue that barely existed 15 years ago in rural America, but has since grown into a larger, more serious problem. Increased crime, neglected children, toxic waste, and strained community resources are just some of the costs that rural areas face. Meth use is higher in rural areas, and a recent study finds that rural users have more medical and psychiatric problems that may inhibit recovery than their urban counterparts. Rates of psychosis, for example, are approximately 1.5 times higher among rural meth users -- and few rural areas have the necessary services to combat the addiction.