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Marijuana Use Among Students at Institutions of Higher Education

NCJ Number
203656
Date Published
February 2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This document discusses marijuana use among college students.
Abstract
Following a decade of decline in the 1980's, the use of marijuana among youth has risen since the early 1990's. This is of concern because marijuana is considered a “gateway” to additional types of drug use. Frequent marijuana use may be physically and emotionally harmful and is also associated with a host of other social and behavioral problems. This trend of increased marijuana use holds true among college students. Annual usage among college students has steadily increased since 1990. Three surveys between 1993 and 1999 of 44,265 college students nationwide found that 9 out of 10 students (91 percent) that used marijuana participated in other high-risk activities such as heavy drinking or cigarette smoking. Other factors associated with marijuana use include spending more time at parties and socializing with friends, spending less time studying, and perceiving religion and community service as not important. Students at large schools, commuter schools, and coeducational schools were also more likely to use marijuana, while students from historically Black colleges and colleges in small or rural towns were less likely to use the drug. Marijuana was also associated with poorer academic performance. Students that used marijuana were less likely than those that did not use it to study for 2 or more hours a day and were more likely to have a grade point average of B or less. A 2001 survey of 21,225 college athletes showed a drop in marijuana use. The majority of athletes surveyed had started using marijuana prior to coming to college. Among athletes, 60.4 percent of marijuana users stated that they used marijuana to serve recreational or social purposes, and 33.8 percent said that they used it because it made them feel good. Sustained marijuana use may directly affect academic achievement among college students that may experience increasing difficulty in problem solving and poor long-term memory. In 1995, more than 165,000 people entering drug treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse. 14 notes