NCJ Number
179028
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 34 Issue: 12 Dated: 1999 Pages: 1647-1663
Editor(s)
Stanley Einstein Ph.D
Date Published
1999
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined possible explanations for increases in marijuana use among eighth-grade students in Texas from 1992 to 1996.
Abstract
The variables examined were the availability of marijuana; perceived dangerousness of marijuana use; use of alcohol and cigarettes; parental attitudes toward marijuana use; and a number of other variables related to family, peers, and school. The sample of eighth graders used for the study was obtained from the 1992, 1994, and 1996 administrations of the Texas School Survey of Substance Use. A random sample of public school students, stratified by urban class size and using a multistage cluster design to select students was employed to ensure that the sample was representative of the State as a whole. Weights were developed so that each aggregation of students according to campus, district, and strata of students reflected their actual proportions. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was designed to be completed during one class period. The findings show that although many of the variables measured were strongly related to marijuana use during the past year, only measures that related to availability of marijuana showed increases in prevalence similar to those of marijuana use across three time periods investigated. Another finding of interest was the dramatic increase (from 4 percent in 1992 to 24 percent in 1996) in marijuana use among African-American students. 4 tables, 2 figures, and 14 references