Using a sample of young drug users entering an intervention study in London, the significance of ages of first use of cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, and stimulant drugs was investigated. In addition, possible predictors of extent of consumption of legal and illegal drugs were examined. The concern was in regards to the extent to which age of first use of any one drug was related to subsequent progression to other drugs and to heavier consumption of drugs. The results indicate that age of first use of cigarettes, alcohol, or cannabis does not predict whether or not a young person goes on to use stimulant drugs. However, among those who do progress on, there is an age association, with age of first cannabis use predicting age of first stimulant use. References