Varieties of Substance use and Visible Drug Problems: Individual and Neighborhood Factors

This paper examines whether the individual and neighborhood factors associated with visible drug problems are also related to drug use. It also looks at how the relationship between individual and neighborhood characteristics and substance use may vary depending upon type of substance under consideration (e.g., marijuana versus cocaine). Using data from the evaluation of the “Fighting Back” national demonstration program, our findings indicate that while neighborhood disadvantage, minority concentration, and density are strongly related to increased levels of visible drug problems, these characteristics are not significantly related to drug use. One implication of these findings is that law enforcement tactics aimed at reducing drug-related “incivilities” in a neighborhood are unlikely to have a substantial impact on residents' rates of drug use. The results also suggest that intervention programs targeting demand reduction among residents in a given neighborhood are likely to have little impact on visible drug problems in that area.