STUDY CHALLENGES PUBLIC'S PERCEPTIONS OF DRUG DEALERS

Research conducted by an ECU professor and a Ph.D. student finds
strong evidence that there is no relationship between race and
instances of drug dealing in urban youth.

Marieke Van Willigen, an associate professor of sociology at ECU, and
David Craig, MA, co-wrote the study, "What We Think We Know About
Metropolitan Drug Dealing But Don't."

The study found that African-American males between the ages of 14
and 17 are no more likely to become drug dealers than white males of
the same age.

In the introduction of the study, Craig suggests that the terms used
in media reporting and research lead the public to believe that drug
dealers are usually black. The study was conducted in order to prove
or disprove this assertion.

"It's not just the media, it's researchers that promote the
stereotype of drug dealing among young black men," Van Willigen
explains. "But when you look at their research, their methodology is terrible."

Van Willigen claims that because studies based on drugs are usually
conducted in low socioeconomic areas that are predominately black,
the data becomes misleading.

Another finding of the study showed that young African-American males
rated education of a higher importance than young, white males. They
also had higher rates of a parent checking their homework, limiting
time allowances with friends and higher overall religiosity.

The study by Van Willigen and Craig finds that these higher rates
help prevent more African-Americans from becoming drug dealers.

However, once the ages of those included in the analysis changed from
14 through 17 to 18 through 25, the instances of drug dealing did
increase among African-Americans versus whites.

"There's one factor that increases the chance of drug dealing, and
that's drop-out rates," Van Willigen said. "If we can keep these kids
in school, then the race difference in young adults will completely go away."

The data used to write the study consisted of 4,332 young males ages
14 to 17 and was obtained from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health, an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Service Administration. This data is collected by the
Research Triangle Institute.

Craig was inspired to do research on the topic of young
African-Americans and drug dealing based on his adolescence. While
growing up in Goldsboro with a single mother, Craig became involved
with gangs in high school. According to Van Willigen, he realized he
was in trouble and joined the military to escape. After returning
from the first Iraq war, he graduated from a community college and
came to ECU for graduate school. "He used education to better
himself," Van Willigen said. "There were times when he would burst
out crying because he's actually gotten so far."

The study needs some revisions, after which Van Willigen and Craig
hope it will be published in sociological journals.