Geographic Variations Of Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratories In North Carolina

This study investigates methamphetamine production in North Carolina from 2004 to 2006. Using address data from the National Clandestine Laboratory Registry, provided by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, this study incorporates methods of spatial analysis, including nearest neighbor analysis and point density mapping to visualize where clandestine laboratories have been most problematic. Additionally, a geographic weighted poisson regression model was used to regress social and economic variables collected from the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey to attempt to understand local conditions that may contribute to increased discoveries of clandestine laboratories. Spatial analysis conducted for this study found that areas of western North Carolina experienced higher levels of clandestine methamphetamine laboratory discoveries. Geographic weighted poisson modeling for this study also shows that traditional social and economic variables do not provide a strong basis for determining why methamphetamine production occurs within regions of North Carolina.