Research to Prevent Rx Drug Abuse
Donation protected
The United States is in the midst of a prescription drug problem. We've reached the point where prescription drugs kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined. In fact, we reached it back in 2012.
My name is Jon Lawson, and I'm a public health researcher with a background in drug prevention. While studying for my master's degree, I looked into what makes certain areas of the United States seem to be more susceptible to certain drug problems than others. What I found is that there's a serious lack of information on the topic, and I want to change that.
What do you want to do?
Put simply, I want to drive around the country, I want to hear and record people's stories and ideas, and I want to figure out what we need at the local level to combat prescription drug abuse.
Isn't there already a lot of research that's been done on the subject?
There's a good amount of very general research out there already, yes. Where mine differs is that it's not going to involve numbers or an experimental study. My project will be more qualitative, taking interviews and impressions and turning them into a narrative. Working from a narrative will make it easier to see where differences exist and - maybe more importantly - where similarities exist. Anything that's needed in a lot of places would be an idea the public health community could rally around!
Why crowdfund this? Why not go with a normal grant if it's research?
This one's pretty simple. I'm a researcher working solo at the moment, and it's the kind of project that's hard to get a grant for if you're unaffiliated with an institution.
Are you getting your whole budget from crowdfunding?
Not at all! I've already committed several thousand dollars of my own money to this project. In fact, it's still happening even if I don't get a dime in this campaign. Currently, my plan involves a LOT of camping and couch-surfing with people I know around the US. I'd just like to make everything a bit more comfortable and make sure I have enough gas and food to get me through the project.
What's the trip going to look like?
I'm still working out the details, but I'm going to be doing over 14,000 miles of driving across the country looking for what local groups need. I'll be starting in Seattle, making my way down the West Coast and up the Rocky Mountains into Montana before driving across to the East Coast. From there I plan on spiraling back around and ending up in the Midwest.
UPDATE: I have a rough outline of my route. I've used National Parks as landmarks. Partially because I'm going to be sleeping in a lot of them and partially because they provide a good circle route around the country. I've split it up into several Google maps, so you can see each leg of the trip.
Map 1 (Seattle-California)
Map 2 (California-Arizona-Utah-Nevada)
Map 3 (NV-UT-Idaho and across to Maine)
Map 4 (Maine down the East Coast to Florida and across to Texas)
Map 5 (Texas through Utah to Colorado)
Map 6 (Colorado to South Dakota)
What are you going to be spending the money on?
The obvious answer is gas and food. But there's a lot more to it than that. In order to go on the road for a few months, I'm going to have to pack up my entire apartment in Seattle into a storage unit, for example. I'll be keeping costs down by doing things like camping and cooking instead of staying in motels and eating at diners every night. I expect to spend about:
$2,000 on gas
$1,000 on food
$500 on storing my stuff
$1,700 on motel rooms/campsite fees/park permits, etc.
As you can see, this could add up pretty quickly. And that's not even factoring in things like car maintenance! (I'm going to be putting a year's worth of miles on a car in about 4 months. It'll need an oil change or three)
What will come out of this at the end of the project?
If all goes to plan, you'll help me write a book that outlines what local public health systems need to combat prescription painkiller abuse. I'll be documenting my trip online through my blog and social media, so everyone can keep up with me as well!
Thanks for considering my project! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, just ask!
My name is Jon Lawson, and I'm a public health researcher with a background in drug prevention. While studying for my master's degree, I looked into what makes certain areas of the United States seem to be more susceptible to certain drug problems than others. What I found is that there's a serious lack of information on the topic, and I want to change that.
What do you want to do?
Put simply, I want to drive around the country, I want to hear and record people's stories and ideas, and I want to figure out what we need at the local level to combat prescription drug abuse.
Isn't there already a lot of research that's been done on the subject?
There's a good amount of very general research out there already, yes. Where mine differs is that it's not going to involve numbers or an experimental study. My project will be more qualitative, taking interviews and impressions and turning them into a narrative. Working from a narrative will make it easier to see where differences exist and - maybe more importantly - where similarities exist. Anything that's needed in a lot of places would be an idea the public health community could rally around!
Why crowdfund this? Why not go with a normal grant if it's research?
This one's pretty simple. I'm a researcher working solo at the moment, and it's the kind of project that's hard to get a grant for if you're unaffiliated with an institution.
Are you getting your whole budget from crowdfunding?
Not at all! I've already committed several thousand dollars of my own money to this project. In fact, it's still happening even if I don't get a dime in this campaign. Currently, my plan involves a LOT of camping and couch-surfing with people I know around the US. I'd just like to make everything a bit more comfortable and make sure I have enough gas and food to get me through the project.
What's the trip going to look like?
I'm still working out the details, but I'm going to be doing over 14,000 miles of driving across the country looking for what local groups need. I'll be starting in Seattle, making my way down the West Coast and up the Rocky Mountains into Montana before driving across to the East Coast. From there I plan on spiraling back around and ending up in the Midwest.
UPDATE: I have a rough outline of my route. I've used National Parks as landmarks. Partially because I'm going to be sleeping in a lot of them and partially because they provide a good circle route around the country. I've split it up into several Google maps, so you can see each leg of the trip.
Map 1 (Seattle-California)
Map 2 (California-Arizona-Utah-Nevada)
Map 3 (NV-UT-Idaho and across to Maine)
Map 4 (Maine down the East Coast to Florida and across to Texas)
Map 5 (Texas through Utah to Colorado)
Map 6 (Colorado to South Dakota)
What are you going to be spending the money on?
The obvious answer is gas and food. But there's a lot more to it than that. In order to go on the road for a few months, I'm going to have to pack up my entire apartment in Seattle into a storage unit, for example. I'll be keeping costs down by doing things like camping and cooking instead of staying in motels and eating at diners every night. I expect to spend about:
$2,000 on gas
$1,000 on food
$500 on storing my stuff
$1,700 on motel rooms/campsite fees/park permits, etc.
As you can see, this could add up pretty quickly. And that's not even factoring in things like car maintenance! (I'm going to be putting a year's worth of miles on a car in about 4 months. It'll need an oil change or three)
What will come out of this at the end of the project?
If all goes to plan, you'll help me write a book that outlines what local public health systems need to combat prescription painkiller abuse. I'll be documenting my trip online through my blog and social media, so everyone can keep up with me as well!
Thanks for considering my project! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, just ask!
Organizer
Jon Lawson
Organizer
Federal Way, WA