NCJ Number
58734
Date Published
1979
Length
44 pages
Annotation
PREDICTORS OF EARLY MARIHUANA USE ARE EXAMINED THROUGH A STUDY OF TWO SAMPLES, AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR MORE SERIOUS FORMS OF DRUG USE ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
THE FIRST SAMPLE WAS OBTAINED BY INTERVIEWS, LASTING FROM 30 MINUTES TO SEVERAL HOURS, WITH A NATIONWIDE GROUP OF YOUNG MEN WHO WERE 20 TO 30 YEARS OLD IN 1974 WHEN MOST OF THE INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED. A TOTAL OF 2,510 SUBJECTS WERE INTERVIEWED, TO OBTAIN DETAILS ABOUT DRUG USE AND ITS CORRELATES. A SECOND SAMPLE WAS DRAWN FROM THOSE AREAS IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, WHICH HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS AREAS OF HIGH DRUG USE. A TOTAL OF 294 INTERVIEWS WERE OBTAINED. AGE AT FIRST USE OF MARIHUANA IS A VARIABLE OF STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE, IN THAT IT IS EASILY MEASURED, POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE PRIOR TO THE OCCURRENCE OF THE BEHAVIORS ONE WOULD LIKE TO PREDICT, AND STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE FACT AND EXTENT OF LATER USE OF OTHER DRUGS, INCLUDING OPIATES OR HEROIN. AGE AT FIRST USE OF MARIHUANA IS USED AS A DEPENDENT VARIABLE, AND AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO EXPLAIN IT IN TERMS OF A LARGE NUMBER OF ITEMS RELATED TO EARLY BEHAVIOR--FAMILY INFLUENCES, PEER INFLUENCES, PERCEPTIONS OF DRUG AVAILABILITY, AND LABELING BY OTHERS AS A POTENTIAL DELINQUENT. A PATH MODEL LEADING TO AGE AT FIRST USE OF MARIHUANA WAS SOUGHT; ANALYSIS REQUIRED, HOWEVER, THAT TWO SEPARATE MODELS BE DEVELOPED FOR BLACKS AND WHITES. A MAJOR EXPLANATORY VARIABLE FOR BOTH GROUPS WAS PERCEPTION OF DRUG AVAILABILITY. BLACKS SCORED MUCH HIGHER THAN WHITES ON PERCEPTION OF DRUG AVAILABILITY, AND THE DATA INDICATE THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE BOTH DELINQUENCY AND DRUG USE WERE HIGHER AND MORE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED FOR THE BLACKS. FAMILY INFLUENCE WAS APPARENTLY MORE INFLUENTIAL AMONG BLACKS. FAMILY INFLUENCE WAS APPARENTLY MORE INFLUENTIAL AMONG WHITES IN PREVENTING OR DELAYING MARIHUANA USE, WHILE PEER INFLUENCE AND EARLY DEVIANT BEHAVIOR SEEMED TO HAVE STRONGER EFFECTS ON BLACKS IN PRODUCING EARLY USE OF MARIHUANA. THESE DIFFERENCES HAVE TO BE DISCOUNTED TO SOME EXTENT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE MODEL FOR BLACKS ACCOUNTS FOR MORE VARIANCE IN THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE THAN DOES THE MODEL FOR WHITES. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED---RCB)