Illicit drug use, urbanization, and lifestyle in the Netherlands

National drug use prevalence figures represent average rates of use among t he general population. Such prevalence figures are often used to make cross -national comparisons and to evaluate the effectiveness of different nation al drug policies. It is argued here that these national-level numbers mask interesting and important differences between local areas. In 1997, researc hers asked approximately 22,000 respondents, selected from five categories of distinct address density municipalities throughout the Netherlands, abou t their lifestyles and use of licit and illicit drugs. The data collected i ndicated divergence between drug use prevalence in urban and rural municipa lities, whereas other drug use indicators, such as age of first use, seemed unaffected by address density. The survey data also revealed distinctions between drug use prevalence in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht , although the cities occupy the same level of address density. This paper addresses some of these discrepancies in prevalence rates and offers an exp lanation in terms of the differential "lifestyles" of the various cities re presented by sample respondents.