The drug use trajectory of these 31 participants in particular involved a transition from a historical preference for crack to a present one for methamphetamine and, in some cases, a preference for concurrent use of methamphetamine and heroin. Qualitative interviews with 52 study participants demonstrate that very poor and homeless White males and females are now using methamphetamine however, even more surprising is that 31 of the participants identified themselves as poor or homeless, male or female African, Native, biracial, or multiracial Americans.
We examine a local drug market in Summit County, Ohio, wherein methamphetamine users ascribe themselves different ethnic identities from those long associated with the drug elsewhere in the United States. Understanding the social dynamics of local methamphetamine markets is critical to improving community health and reducing social costs associated with illicit drug use.
