The study had three main objectives: (1) to discover how many defendants in rural areas in the Midwest were drug-related offenders; (2) to discover differential offending, with an emphasis on drug offending, based on location of each area (one more than 300 miles from any major city and one within 50 miles of Kansas City, MO); and (3) to find the overall trends of offending in each of the rural regions. Data source for the study was local newspaper archives of the county seats of each area. For purposes of the study, the definition of drugs was restricted to those substances that are illegal for the adult population (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines) but excluded those that are illegal only if used by minors (e.g., alcohol, tobacco). The use, manufacture, and distribution of illegal drugs was established in the rural areas studied, but there was more drug offending in some areas than in others. The article suggests the usefulness of a triangulated approach for future research in rural crime, access to agency records, and a survey of a sample of the population of a region to determine community concerns and fears related to types of offending. Tables, notes, references