Collected data to describe clients who presented with alcohol and other drug problems. Of the 190 students examined, over half of them met the criteria for alcohol abuse. Findings are discussed in relationship to a counseling center's practice of clinical assessment of drug and alcohol use. (RJM)

Uses longitudinal national survey data to examine relationships between cocaine and marijuana use. Results show that weekly marijuana users were over 10 times more likely to initiate cocaine use within the next year. Also, many psychosocial predictors are not predictive of initial cocaine use after controlling for prior weekly marijuana use. (RJM)

Investigates the effects of the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine on the following aspects of labor force experience: (1) earnings; (2) stability of employment; (3) gaps between employment spells; and (4) duration of unemployment. Illicit drug use was found to have an impact on all factors except earnings. (JS)

In 1985 the United States Supreme Court concluded that the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures does apply to public school officials. Offers some hypothetical examples for public school officials to consider regarding mandatory urine testing and the reasonable suspicion standard. (MLF)

Examined interactive nature of age in predicting alcohol, marijuana, and drug use among 435 seventh and eleventh graders. Found statistically significant interaction terms for age with peer and social control factors for each type of usage. Findings suggest that many factors commonly associated with adolescent usage may be conditioned by age.…

Evaluation with over 4,000 seventh and eighth graders in California and Oregon showed that Project ALERT, a curriculum to curb drug use by teaching resistance to pressures, successfully dampened cognitive risk factors for cigarette and marijuana use but had limited impact on beliefs about alcohol. (SK)

A longitudinal sample of 3,454 urban and rural school students in grades 6 through 8 at baseline was used to examine developmental changes in peer factors and their influence on marijuana initiation. Friends' drug-related behaviors, rather then attitudes, were more strongly related to respondents' likelihood of initiating drug use. (TJH)

Difficulties accompanying large-scale field tests of a health promotion program in middle schools are reviewed, focusing on Healthy for Life, a health promotion research project that recruited 22 schools. The practical lessons and strategies of program recruitment and implementation are useful for anyone planning school-based programs or research.…

Uses data from a nationally representative longitudinal sample to examine the relationship of marijuana use by high school seniors to occupational attainment ten years later. Analyses were conducted separately by gender, with and without controlling for other variables. Results indicate that the influence of marijuana use on occupational…

Youth's perceptions of the morality of alcohol and other drug use and the perceived legitimacy of laws regulating such use have received scant attention in the international public health literature. To date, the focus has mainly been on emphasizing the health and social disbenefits of substance use in an attempt to counter the perceived…

This paper aims to provide surveillance information about the extent and consequences of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use by adolescents for three sentinel sites in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban and Gauteng province). From 1997 to 2001, data were gathered from multiple sources, including specialist treatment centres, trauma units, school…

The problem of adolescent substance use has been examined extensively. Beyond simple prevalence estimates, however, little research has been conducted on substance use in the school context. The present investigation was an in-depth study of students' attitudes and behaviors regarding alcohol and marijuana use during the school day. Based on a…

This article deals with a 16-year-old boy who is referred by his parents to address his academic decline and mood symptoms. He was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 7 years ago, but his parents had opted not to have it treated. The patient has prominent inattention and distractibility, with complaints of internal…

In "a treatment effectiveness trial", a program is evaluated in a real-world setting, with an emphasis on achieving high implementation fidelity. Through fidelity assessment, the link between program implementation and outcomes is systematically evaluated and ultimately leads to a greater understanding of program success or failure. This paper…

Background: This study examines the longitudinal associations between adolescent tobacco and cannabis use and young adult functioning. Methods: Data for analysis come from the Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS), a prospective study of child health, psychiatric disorder and adolescent substance use in a general population sample that began in 1983,…