Ventura County, Calif. Drug Abusers Who Get Caught Are White, Prefer Cocaine

DRUG USE TRENDS June 1993

The profile for Ventura County, Calif. drug abusers who get in trouble with the criminal justice system are white males, age 30, either unemployed or with a low paying job, who prefer cocaine but use alcohol more than other drugs (Lynn Berk, "Study Profiles Ventura County Drug Abusers," Simi Valley Enterprise, 5/2/93, A1).

The study, based on 825 people referred to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department drug diversion unit from 1990 through 1992, belies the common perception of heavy drug users as poor minorities.