Characteristics of cities and their relationship to heroin use: an analysis of heroin use correlates in metropolitan areas.

The problem addressed in this study was stated in general terms as follows: What are the factors related to differences between cities in heroin use levels? The explanatory power of five alternative conceptual models of heroin use was tested via multiple regression, using the Heroin Problem Index as the measure of heroin use prevalence. The results indicated that while several of the models had some validity, no single model provided a complete explanation of heroin use variability, suggesting that the ultimate explanation of heroin use includes elements from several models. Results were interpreted as supporting the notion that both supply and demand factors are important in heroin use.