Although a recent study found that rural teens have a higher probability of using drugs than their urban counterparts, local law enforcement officials said they do not see a similar effect in Story County.

“It seems unusual to me to say that kids in a rural area are more likely to do drugs,” said Capt. Gary Foster of the Story County Sheriff’s Office. “There are drugs available in a rural areas, but not to the extent as in a big city.”

The study, which was conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, found that eighth graders in rural areas were 34 percent more likely to smoke marijuana, 50 percent more likely to use cocaine, 104 percent more likely to use amphetamines and 29 percent more likely to use alcohol than urban teens.

The study was released Jan. 26.

John Tinker, director of the Central Iowa Task Force, said although the number of drug arrests, seizures and drug lab busts has increased about 25 percent to 30 percent in Story and Boone counties during the past year, he has not noticed a difference in drug use in rural and urban areas.

“There probably wouldn’t be a big difference if you took it population-wise,” Tinker said.

One possible reason for Story County going against the nationwide trend is a low rate of teen drug use in the area. A recent survey by the Story County Sheriff’s Office of 232 area eighth graders found that 92.7 percent had never tried marijuana.

Foster attributed the low drug use rate to the substance abuse education Story County teens receive through the D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness and Resistance Education) program.

“The D.A.R.E. program has a positive effect on kids,” he said. “The instructors generally care about the kids they’re working with and provide assistance to keep kids away from harmful substances.”

Foster did note, though, that the D.A.R.E. program is far from perfect.

“We know we’re not going to keep every kid involved in the D.A.R.E. program from trying drugs and alcohol, but if we can inform them about the dangers, they can make informed decisions,” he said.

As part of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse study, researchers proposed a $1.6 billion plan to discourage drug use in rural areas.

Linda Ciccone, ISU coordinator of substance abuse programs, said she thought the plan would be a step in the right direction to cut down on rural drug use.

“There is a direct relationship between the amount of money available from the government for prevention and the decrease of [drug] use in grades K-12,” Ciccone said.