A reader writes:
I grew up in rural, small-town (pop 300) Iowa and me and my entire circle of friends used meth for several years from the late 80's to the mid-90's or so. Most of the analysis so far as to why it's so popular in rural areas is too complicated and misses the point, I think.
There's really no need to analyze religiosity or socio-economic factors. It boils down to two things: it's available, and it's cheap. When one first starts using meth, before they build up a tolerance, one can get high all night for as little as five dollars. That's cheaper than any other drug, including alcohol, and is even cheaper than a pack of cigarettes these days.
It's also the only drug besides marijuana that's easily available in those areas. Cocaine might be found from time to time, but it's several times the price of meth, and heroin is never even heard of.
I'm sure some of those other factors contribute somewhat to the problem, but really it's all beside the point. Basically, people like to get high. If something is readily available for cheap, that's going to be their drug of choice.