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Marijuana use among American Indian adolescents: a growth curve analysis from ages 14 through 20 years.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the developmental course of marijuana use among a group of American Indian adolescents, aged 14 through 20 years. METHOD: A group of 1,766 American Indian adolescents from 3 culture groups provided repeated measures of 30-day marijuana use twice a year across a 3-year period. Linking 5 age cohorts, hierarchical linear modeling was used to model a curvilinear trajectory of marijuana use. Gender and community differences were examined as well. RESULTS: Support was found for a "maturational" model of marijuana use across time: Use increased in middle adolescence, peaked in later adolescence, and began to decrease in early adulthood. Both gender and community differences in trajectories were significant as well. CONCLUSIONS: Marijuana use among American Indian adolescents follows a clear developmental trajectory. Growth curve analysis can provide an additional tool for studying the effects of interventions that may not be apparent in a traditional evaluation design.

Adolescent↗

Individual and school level effects of perceived harm, perceived availability, and community size on marijuana use among 12th-grade students: a random effects model.

A hierarchical linear model was used to estimate the individual and school level effects for marijuana use among a national sample of 12th-grade students. School effects were small in comparison to individual level effects, accounting for 2.9% of the variance in marijuana use. At the individual level, perceived harm, perceived availability, and their interaction were significant predictors, each of which varied randomly across schools. Among two school-level predictors, the normative environment for perceived harm was not significant, but normative perceived availability predicted level of marijuana use. The effect of perceived availability on marijuana use was stronger in larger, compared to smaller communities. Results are discussed in light of the use of random regression methods for identifying school-specific patterns of risk and protection for prevention planning.

Adolescent↗

Marijuana use among minority youths living in public housing developments.

Youths residing in public housing developments appear to be at markedly heightened risk for drug use because of their constant exposure to violence, poverty, and drug-related activity. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a model of marijuana etiology with adolescents (N = 624) residing in public housing. African-American and Hispanic seventh graders completed questionnaires about their marijuana use, social influences to smoke marijuana, and sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics. Results indicated that social influences, such as friends' marijuana use and perceived ease of availability of marijuana, significantly predicted both occasional and future use of marijuana. Individual characteristics such as antimarijuana attitudes and drug refusal skills also predicted marijuana use. The findings imply that effective prevention approaches that target urban youths residing in public housing developments should provide them with an awareness of social influences to use marijuana, correct misperceptions about the prevalence of marijuana smoking, and train adolescents in relevant psychosocial skills.

Adolescent↗

Marijuana use and alienation: a multivariate analysis.

Research investigating the relationship between marijuana use and alienation is characterized by conflicting findings and a relative lack of multivariate designs. although a number of potential explanations for this lack of consensus are assessed, the primary focus of this study is on the type of analysis employed. Using bivariate analysis, significant positive associations were found between marijuana use and anomia, political alienation, and social isolation. However, when these same relationships were investigated in a multivariate design, controlling for other relevant factors, they failed to remain significant. These results indicate that there is no direct relationship between marijuana use and alienation. furthermore, the results question studies that have not taken into consideration relevant control variables in their analyses.

Adolescent↗

Understanding differences in marijuana use among urban Black and suburban White high school students from two U.S. community samples.

To examine community/racial differences in adolescent marijuana use and the variations in factors underlying the observed differences, a questionnaire survey study was conducted with 9th to 12th graders (n = 1,936) from two communities in New Jersey. Marijuana use was significantly higher among suburban (mostly White) students than among their urban (mostly Black) counterparts. Significant differences in marijuana use between the two community sub-samples were explained by differences in type of risk factors, mean number of risk factors, and the strength of the association (slopes) between risk factors and marijuana use. Social-environmental factors (including positive after-school activities and negative peer influences) and, to a lesser degree, family factors (including family income, parental and sibling drug use), accounted for most community/racial differences in marijuana use.

Adolescent↗

College on problems of drug dependence meeting, Puerto Rico (June 1996) marijuana use and dependence.

Discoveries concerning an endogenous cannabinoid system and observations of dramatic increases in marijuana use among youth in the United States have fueled a recent increase in basic and clinical research to better understand and treat marijuana dependence. At the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (Puerto Rico, 1996) a symposium 'Marijuana Use: Basic Mechanisms, Epidemiology, and Clinical Issues' reviewed a number of important areas of ongoing research that address marijuana dependence. Overviews and original research were presented regarding the development of dependence (preclinical and clinical research), motivational effects (laboratory models), the epidemiology of dependence and its development, clinical management of marijuana use among patients seeking treatment for other drugs of abuse, and treatment for adult marijuana dependence. This paper summarizes the symposium presentations and provides discussion of recent scientific developments concerning marijuana use and dependence.

Adult↗

Correlates of the perceived health risks of marijuana use among Australian adults.

A quota sample of 3272 people from the Australian population was surveyed by telephone about the health risks of marijuana use. Three-fifths of the sample (62%) believed that there were health problems caused by marijuana use and one in four (27%) were uncertain. The most commonly cited health effects were: lung cancer, mental problems, memory loss and respiratory disease. The health risks of marijuana use were perceived to increase with increasing frequency of use, and to be greater when the user was a teenager rather than an adult. The perceived health risks of marijuana increased with age, were higher among women than men, decreased with increasing education and frequency and quantity of alcohol and were substantially lower among those who had used marijuana, and those who knew someone who had used marijuana.

Journal Article↗

Beyond treatment effects: predicting emerging adult alcohol and marijuana use among substance-abusing delinquents.

Secondary analyses of a randomized clinical trial examined the effects of 4 putative risk factors and 2 protective factors in predicting drug use among 80 emerging adults treated 5 years earlier for delinquency and alcohol and/or marijuana use disorders. Frequency of marijuana use and the number of comorbid psychiatric disorders in adolescence predicted cannabis use in emerging adulthood. Increasing academic competence at high levels of social competence predicted less marijuana use. At emerging adulthood, greater use of alcohol and marijuana were associated with both criminality and psychopathology.

Adolescent↗

The impact of alcohol consumption and marijuana use on high school graduation.

In this study we use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) to estimate the relationship between high school graduation, and alcohol and marijuana use among high school students. We also estimate the demand determinants for each of these substances. Our results show that there are significant adverse effects of alcohol and marijuana use on high school graduation. In particular, increases in the incidence of frequent drinking, liquor and wine consumption, and frequent marijuana use, significantly reduce the probability of high school graduation. Our results also show that beer taxes, liquor prices and marijuana decriminalization have a significant impact on the demand for these substances. These findings have important policy implications. A ten percent increase in beer taxes, reduces alcohol consumption among high school students, which in turn raises the probability of high school graduation by about three percent. A 1 percent increase in liquor prices raises the probability of high school graduation by over 1 percent. Raising the minimum drinking age for liquor also reduces liquor and wine consumption, and thus, improves the probability of high school graduation. Although the relationship between marijuana decriminalization and marijuana use is not significant, decriminalization is found to reduce the probability of becoming a frequent drinker. This result suggests that marijuana use and frequent drinking are substitute activities. Illicit substance abuse reduces the rate of high school completion, reduces expected future earnings and creates potential health problems. Thus, high-school-based preventive programs which discourage alcohol consumption and marijuana use are highly recommended, in order to alleviate these problems.

Adolescent↗

Alcohol and marijuana use in adolescents' daily lives: a random sample of experiences.

High school students filled out reports on their experiences at random times during their daily lives, including 48 occasions when they were using alcohol or marijuana. Alcohol use was reported primarily in the context of Friday and Saturday night social gatherings and was associated with a happy and gregarious subjective state. Marijuana use was reported across a wider range of situations and was associated with an average state that differed much less from ordinary experience.

Adolescent↗

The role of the father in his son's marijuana use.

In order to explore perceived paternal correlates of adolescent marijuana use (both alone and in interaction with perceived maternal correlates), 71 adolescent boys were interviewed with a questionnaire assessing their perception of paternal and maternal warmth, child-centeredness, control through guilt, autonomy, and identification. The results showed users are less likely to perceive their fathers as affectionate and child-centered. The absence of both paternal tolerance in control and maternal affection is also associated with adolescent marijuana use. The results are discussed in terms of the possible impact of the father in the context of the family on the adolescent's marijuana use.

Adolescent↗

Parental marijuana use and risk of childhood acute myeloid leukaemia: a report from the Children's Cancer Group (United States and Canada).

The aetiology of childhood acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is largely unknown. Maternal marijuana use just before, or during pregnancy has been previously associated with childhood AML. This case-control investigation formally tested the hypothesis that parental marijuana use increases the risk of childhood AML in offspring. Incident cases of AML <18 years of age, diagnosed between 1989 and 1993, and registered with the Children's Cancer Group (a paediatric clinical co-operative group), were eligible for inclusion. Control children were selected via random digit dialling and individually matched 1:1 to cases on age, race and residential location, except for rare morphological subtypes that were matched 1:2. Parental telephone interviews were conducted to determine exposure and covariate information. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate matched odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals [CI] adjusted for household income, parental education and parental age. The analysis included 517 cases and 610 matched controls. A series of sensitivity analyses examined the potential for recall bias. Ever lifetime use of marijuana by mothers was not associated with childhood AML [OR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.66, 1.19]. Maternal marijuana use any time during the 3 months before, or during pregnancy was inversely associated with childhood AML [OR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.23, 0.80]. Paternal use during the same time period was not associated with risk. Assuming a large degree of differential exposure misclassification was present, the corrected ORs ranged between 0.82 and 1.40. The previously reported positive association between maternal marijuana use before or during pregnancy and childhood AML was not confirmed. The decreased ORs observed in this study may be due to recall bias assuming plausibly low values of sensitivity.

Acute Disease↗

Unprotected sex as a function of alcohol and marijuana use among adolescent detainees.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between the use of two substances (alcohol and marijuana) and the occurrence of unprotected sexual intercourse among adolescent detainees. METHODS: Participants were asked about their use of alcohol, marijuana, and condoms. In addition to comparing levels of alcohol and marijuana use, the study examined relationships among the following variables: (a) the number of days that each substance was used and the number of unprotected episodes of sexual intercourse in the 30 days preceding admission to a youth detention center; (b) the number of times that each substance was used before or during sexual intercourse and the number of unprotected episodes in the same time period; (c) the use of each substance and unprotected intercourse at the last sexual episode; and (d) intentions to use each substance in the context of sex and to have unprotected intercourse in the future. Relationships among these variables were assessed in four regression models, each of which included participants' demographic characteristics, AIDS knowledge, attitudes toward condoms, and future orientation as covariates. RESULTS: Results of all four regression models indicated that marijuana use was associated with unprotected sexual intercourse. Adolescents who used more marijuana in general as well as specifically in sexual episodes in the 30 days preceding detention reported higher levels of unprotected sex. In addition, marijuana use in the last episode was related to the occurrence of unprotected sex during that episode. Moreover, intentions to use marijuana in future sexual episodes was associated with intentions to have unprotected intercourse in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should use more rigorous research designs to clarify the nature of the relationship between marijuana use and risky sex.

Adolescent↗

Drug testing, drug treatment, and marijuana use: a fairness perspective.

The authors conducted a random statewide telephone survey of 1,484 individuals to study the relationship between marijuana use (in terms of participants' history of marijuana use) and reactions to drug testing and to study 2 hypothetical drug-treatment policies. Job safety sensitivity was related to perceived fairness of drug testing for the participant's job, and more recent marijuana use was associated with more negative reactions. Safety sensitivity was related to perceived fairness of drug treatment. Organizations with voluntary treatment were more attractive than ones with monitored treatment. Marijuana use interacted with drug treatment policy type in predicting reactions to drug treatment. Results suggest that organizations should consider job and employee characteristics when developing a drug treatment policy.

Adult↗

Individual latent growth curves in the development of marijuana use from childhood to young adulthood.

The present study was designed to examine the relationship between unconventionality and marijuana use over time. The sample for this paper consisted of 532 male and female participants interviewed during early adolescence, late adolescence, their early twenties, and their late twenties. Latent growth modeling was used. The findings indicated that (1) the influence of initial unconventionality (T2) on initial marijuana use (T2) was stronger for males, (2) unconventionality at T2 was not significantly related to overall rate of growth in marijuana use, and (3) change in unconventionality was related to overall growth rate of marijuana use. The implications of the findings for prevention and treatment are discussed.

Adolescent↗

One-year prospective prediction of marijuana use cessation among youth at continuation high schools.

This article reports a large-scale study of the prediction of marijuana use cessation among adolescents who were regular users at baseline. Social, attitude, intrapersonal, violence-related, drug-use-related, and demographic baseline measures served as predictors of whether or not 566 current marijuana users reported having quit use 1 year later. Quitting was defined as having not used marijuana in the last 30 days and having no intention to use marijuana in the future (31% of the baseline users). Those who were slightly older, who reported receiving relatively less approval for using drugs, who held relatively unfavorable attitudes about the acceptability of drug use, and who reported relatively less victimization in the last year were relatively likely to quit. Implications of these results include the need to increase unacceptability of marijuana use to help increase efforts at self-initiated quitting.

Adolescent↗

Marijuana use and depression.

The primary goal of this study is to examine the association between marijuana use and adult depressive symptomatology. The key independent variables examined are age of marijuana initiation, frequency of current marijuana use, the use of other licit and illicit drugs, and whether marijuana was used to cope with problems. The relationships among these variables are assessed using data from the Young Men and Drugs Survey (n = 1,941), a nationally representative sample of men from the 1944-1954 birth cohort. Results show that early marijuana initiation appears to be weakly associated with increased depression in adulthood. This effect, however, is mediated by educational attainment, employment status, marital status, and other drug use, notably alcohol and tobacco use. Adult frequency of marijuana use is not significantly associated with increased depression in adulthood. Finally, marijuana users who use the drug to cope with problems are more depressed than those who do not use to cope with problems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Sensation seeking, puberty, and nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use in adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship among nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use; level of sensation seeking (SS); and pubertal development. METHOD: Subjects were early and middle adolescent males and females recruited from a psychiatric clinic (n = 77) and two general pediatric clinics (n = 131). SS was measured by using the Sensation Seeking Scale for Children. Pubertal development was measured with a modified Pubertal Development Scale that was completed by the adolescent and his/her parent about the adolescent. Adolescent self-reports of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use were also obtained using questionnaires. RESULTS: SS was higher in males and females who reported nicotine and alcohol use and in males who reported marijuana use. SS was positively associated with pubertal development in males and females, even when controlling for age. Furthermore, SS mediated the relationship of pubertal development and drug use in males and females. CONCLUSIONS: The observation that SS mediates the relationship between pubertal development and drug use in males and females may contribute to understanding changes in drug use that are seen during adolescence. In addition, SS is associated with drug use and is easily measured in a variety of clinical settings.

Adolescent↗