The range of ages reported for cannabis initiation was 11-15 years old. Generally, the youth did not describe their onset of cannabis use as being associated with specific events, dates, or settings. Many indicated that cannabis use "just started," as though there was a sense in which cannabis use was an expected part of the youths' social development. Many youth were unable or unwilling to provide personal or motivational explanations of why they started using cannabis. Apparently, they had not given the matter much thought. Some youth, however, cited admiration of older peers who used cannabis as a possible factor in their onset of cannabis use. All participants knew people who smoked cannabis, and in their immediate social circles, nonuse was relatively rare. Current cannabis use apparently revolved around the use of "buckets" for ingesting the drug in places frequented by drug users. A "bucket" is an improvised cannabis bong or water pipe. Some youth reported symptoms often associated with cannabis dependence, including daily use, increased tolerance, and absence from school. They also spoke in contradictory terms about cannabis use, alternating between a hedonistic outlook and one that recognized problems with continued heavy use. The youths' drug-associated language closely mimicked some aspects of heroin use. The study involved two phases. One phase used focus groups (2 female and 2 male groups), and the second phase consisted of indepth interviews with 11 youth, using the same broad interview content as in the focus groups. 2 tables and 47 references