Since the mid-1960s, when illicit drug use burgeoned in the normal youth population, substance use by American young people has proven to be a rapidly changing phenomenon. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. How vigorously the nation responds to…

Background: Anger, a component of negative affect, has previously been associated with increased drug use primarily among white high school-aged students. However, few studies have examined these associations over time, and fewer have examined them among younger adolescents and students of color. Affective factors may play a greater role in drug…

Target populations have always been a thorny issue for correctional programs. In this experiment of seamless treatment for probationers in two sites, offenders were randomly assigned to the seamless model (drug treatment incorporated into probation supervision) or traditional referral model to services in the community. The experiment blocked on…

HIV-negative, inner-city adolescents with HIV-infected parents are considered to be at high risk for acquiring HIV themselves. Using a modified theory of health behavior, this study examined the effects of maternal HIV infection and psychosocial variables on the onset of sexual and drug risk behavior in 144 HIV-negative adolescents with and…

Student responses concerning personal and peer use of marijuana were collected from 181 middle school students in rural Northern Michigan. Results suggest that personal marijuana use is highly correlated with peer consumption. Use of marijuana increases significantly with age and is higher than national averages in certain age groups. (Author/ABB)

This study examines the influence of perceived risks as well as the understudied role of benefits on alcohol and marijuana use among adolescents and adults. Ninth grade students and young adults were asked about the perceived risks and benefits of alcohol and marijuana use. Analyses showed a consistent pattern: perceived benefits were more…

This review examines trends in marijuana use through a study employed to track the progress of the recent epidemic among arrestees at 23 locations across the nation. It identifies nationwide drug use trends within the mainstream population on the basis of self-reports of past-month use, a measure parallel to the length of time in which marijuana…

The effects of drug abuse and dependence vary, depending on the type of drug, polydrug use, and characteristics of the user. The influence of genetic, neurochemical, neuropsyiological, sociocultural, and economic factors suggest that the etiology of substance abuse and dependence is multiply determined. Models explaining the causation of substance…

Examines family-based variables as predictors of adolescent substance use. Overall, this study supported prior research, indicating certain family variables as predictors of adolescent substance use. Sibling marijuana use, family involvement, and religious affiliation were predictors of adolescent tobacco use. Family involvement, sibling tobacco…

Investigates sensation seeking as a moderating variable of 368 adolescents' reactions to antimarijuana public service announcements. Notes that two structural equation models (one for high sensation seekers and the other for low sensation seekers) revealed two very different styles of processing the ads. Considers how antimarijuana attitudes for…

Examined relationship of perception of risk regarding the use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine to use of these substances by college students (N=242). Determined perceptions of risk significantly predicted usage patterns and attitudes toward the use of various drugs. (Author/ABL)

Developed perceptual inventory to determine relationship between societal or familial factors and onset of marijuana use among youth and to examine differences by ethnicity, religious persuasion, and parental status. Results from 255 secondary school students revealed five-factor solution, with 26 of 34 items included. Instrument appears…

Explored connotative meanings of alcohol, cocaine, hashish, and marijuana among 29 Indonesian and U.S. graduate students. Found significant differences between groups on six adjective pairs for alcohol, four for marijuana, and three each for hashish and cocaine. Groups also differed in identification of substances as strong/weak,…

Investigated possible links between normative and political opposition, mental health, and the use of cannabis in prospective longitudinal study of Norwegian adolescents (n=1,311). Findings indicated that the group that experimented with cannabis was mainly characterized by political and normative "oppositional" engagement, but heavy…

Marijuana motives were studied in relationship to drinking motives among college students. Internal consistency and concurrent validity of the measure, gender, and interpersonal correlates of problem use patterns were examined. Analyses supported a five-factor marijuana motives model, prediction of use-related problems, and discriminant validity…