Substance abuse in rural African-American populations.

Although alcohol and drug abuse are general problems in America, there is increasing recognition of the need to focus on special populations in which substance abuse magnifies other problems. African-Americans have been particularly vulnerable to the negative social and health consequences associated with substance abuse. For example, in comparison to whites, African-Americans experience an earlier onset of alcoholism and other drug problems, a greater likelihood of being channeled to the criminal justice system rather than to treatment for legal problems caused by substance abuse (Lowe and Alston 1973), higher rates of drug-related homicide deaths (Harper and Dawkins 1977), and a higher rate of illnesses such as liver cirrhosis and esophageal cancer (Franklin 1989). The surge in problems associated with crack cocaine use has compounded the substance abuse problem in the African-American population (Carlson and Siegal 1991).