The Effect of Drug Use on Social Work Students' Treatment Attitudes

Sixty first-year social work students were studied regarding their drug experiences and attitudes. A minority had experimented with drugs other than marijuana, and over half had tried marijuana. Older age was found to be associated with less drug use and more negative attitudes. Experience with drugs was also related to less negative attitudes toward users and more positive views about treatment effectiveness. Since social work is a profession concerned with helping those in trouble, particularly substance abusers, drug experiences and attitudes of social workers need to be explored further concerning their relationship to treatment outcome.     

Gambling and other risk behaviors on university campuses

To examine the prevalence of problem gambling and its relationship to other risk-taking behaviors, the authors surveyed 1,350 undergraduates at the 4 campuses of Connecticut State University (CSU) during fall 2000. On the basis of a modified version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen, a widely used screening instrument, they found that 18% of the men and 4% of the women reported that gambling had led to at least 3 negative life consequences (eg, felt guilty, gambled more than intended), commonly defined as problem gambling. Students identified as problem gamblers, compared with other students, were significantly more likely to be heavy drinkers, report negative consequences of alcohol consumption, and be regular tobacco and marijuana users. Problem gambling was related to binge eating and greater use of weight-control efforts. University athletes were also found to have significantly greater problem gambling rates than nonathletes. The majority of students gambled but experienced few of the negative consequences reported by problem gamblers.     

UNDERREPORTING OF SUBSTANCE USE IN A NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL YOUTH COHORT: INDIVIDUAL AND INTERVIEWER EFFECTS

The quality of drug data in the 1984 wave of the National LongitudinalSurvey of Youth is explored. Comparisons with other nationalsurveys indicate that underreporting of use of illicit drugsother than marijuana appears to have taken place, and that lightusers of these drugs are underrepresented among the self-acknowledgedusers. Comparison with marijuana use reported four years earlierindicates that experimental marijuana users are much less likelythan extensive users to acknowledge involvement. Even aftercontrolling for frequency of use, underreporting is more commonamong terminal high school dropouts and minorities. Not onlyindividual characteristics but field conditions also contributeto underreporting. Familiarity with the interviewer, as measuredby number of prior interviewing contacts, depresses drug usereporting. We speculate that interviewer familiarity increasessalience of normative standards and that participants respondnot only in terms of their past familiarity but also in termsof their subjective expectations regarding the probability ofa future encounter with the interviewer.     

Predicting continued use of marijuana among adolescents: the relative influence of drug-specific and social context factors.

Most research on the determinants of adolescent drug use has focused on predictors of either initiation or current use. Little attention has been given to the determinants of continued use of drugs after initiation, even though some researchers have found that the consequences of continued use are more serious than those associated with experimental or occasional use. In this study, a longitudinal sample of 456 secondary and high school students who had already tried marijuana was used to examine the determinants of continued use of marijuana. Nearly 38 percent of those who had tried marijuana continued using, according to the definition operationalized in this study. Potential predictor measures were grouped in a drug-specific domain and a social context domain, and their effects on continued use, controlling for background characteristics, were examined in logistic regression models. Results showed that only the drug-specific domain had a statistically significant effect on the likelihood of continued use. Students who felt that the adverse physical and psychological effects of marijuana were not very important reasons for discontinuing use and those who had gotten stoned during their experimental stage of use were the most likely to continue use after initiation. The results suggest that the perceived physical and psychological effects of the drug are more important determinants of continued use than are social factors or benefits related to use. Any relationships between social factors and continued use are mediated by the perceived effects and risks of the drug.     

Briefly Noted

Almost 70% of Americans think it's unlikely a driver will get caught for driving while impaired by marijuana, according to a survey released last month by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. And 14.8 million drivers themselves report driving within an hour of using marijuana — and engaging in this activity within the past month. According to research, the impairing effects of marijuana occur within the first one to four hours after smoking, and marijuana users who drive while intoxicated are more than twice as likely to be involved in a crash. “Marijuana can significantly alter reaction times and impair a driver's judgment. Yet, many drivers don't consider marijuana‐impaired driving as risky as other behaviors like driving drunk or talking on the phone while driving,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “It is important for everyone to understand that driving after recently using marijuana can put themselves and others at risk.” In the AAA Foundation survey, almost 14% of millennials report driving within one hour after using marijuana in the past 30 days; 10% of Generation Z reports doing this. “It's time to face the facts. Any driver who gets behind the wheel high can be arrested and prosecuted,” said Jake Nelson, AAA director of traffic safety and advocacy. “Law enforcement officials are getting more sophisticated in their methods for identifying marijuana‐impaired drivers and the consequences are not worth the risk.” AAA recommends all motorists avoid driving while impaired by marijuana or any other drug (including alcohol) to avoid arrest and keep the roads safe. Just because a drug is legal does not mean it is safe to use while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers who get behind the wheel while impaired put themselves and others at risk.     

The Race and Class Privilege of Motherhood: TheNew York Times Presentations of Pregnant Drug‐Using Women1

Prior research has examined race and class bias embedded in media presentations of pregnant drug users; however, this past research is limited in identifying biases because it focuses on single substances—primarily crack cocaine. I build on this work by conducting a comparative analysis of more than 15 years worth of New York Times articles on three drugs (crack cocaine, alcohol, and tobacco) used during pregnancy. These three drugs have varying levels of deleterious effects on fetal development and infant health, as well as varying levels of use by poor and minority women. Because of this variation, I am able to assess whether media coverage of pregnant drug‐using women is proportional to the documented adverse consequences of specific drugs or, rather, whether media coverage is higher and more negative for poor and minority pregnant women regardless of the degree of adverse health consequences associated with the specific drug used. Through this analysis, I demonstrate that the prevalence and framing of news stories about pregnant drug‐using women has little to do with protecting the health of children. Rather, concern for children is a rhetorical tool used to define poor and minority women as bad mothers and blame them for contemporary changes in families.     

Psychosocial correlates of recreational ecstasy use among college students

College students' ecstasy (MDMA) use increased significantly in recent years, yet little is known about these students. In this study, the authors used the Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Studies (CORE) survey to compare 29 college students who had used ecstasy and other illicit drugs with 90 students who had used marijuana and no other illicit drugs. They noted differences in age, frequency of alcohol and marijuana use, average age of onset of marijuana use, frequency of negative consequences associated with substance use, perceptions of peer norms' drug use, perceived peer acceptance of substance use, and risk perception of substance use. When they entered polysubstance use as a covariate, many of these correlates became nonsignificant. The authors suggest that college ecstasy initiators may be a cohort of marijuana users who tend to engage in multiple risk-taking behaviors. This study serves as a preliminary effort to better understand college students who use ecstasy recreationally.     

A Life-course Perspective on the "Gateway Hypothesis"

Drawing on stress and life-course perspectives and using panel data from 1,286 south Florida young adults, we assess three critical questions regarding the role of marijuana in the "gateway hypothesis." First, does teen marijuana use independently (causally) affect subsequent use of more dangerous substances? Second, if so, does that effect apply to the abuse of other illicit substances, as defined by the DSM-IV, or only to the use of such substances? Finally, does any causal effect of teen marijuana use survive beyond adolescence, or is it a short-term effect that subsides as adolescents transition to adulthood? Our results indicate a moderate relation between early teen marijuana use and young adult abuse of other illicit substances; however, this association fades from statistical significance with adjustments for stress and life-course variables. Likewise, our findings show that any causal influence of teen marijuana use on other illicit substance use is contingent upon employment status and is short-term, subsiding entirely by the age of 21. In light of these findings, we urge U.S. drug control policymakers to consider stress and life-course approaches in their pursuit of solutions to the "drug problem."     

Evidence for significant polydrug use among ecstasy-using college students

Ecstasy (MDMA) has been added to the spectrum of illicit drugs used by college students. In this study, the authors estimated the prevalence of ecstasy use within a large college student sample and investigated the polydrug-use history of those ecstasy users. They administered an anonymous questionnaire to college students (N = 1,206) in classrooms at a large university in the mid-Atlantic United States. The overall student response rate was 91%. Nine percent of the sample reported lifetime ecstasy use. Because 98% of ecstasy users had used marijuana, the authors compared polydrug use between ecstasy users and individuals who had used marijuana but not ecstasy. Ecstasy users, as compared with these marijuana users, were significantly more likely to have used inhalants (38% vs. 10%), LSD (38% vs. 5%), cocaine (46% vs 2%), and heroin (17% vs 1%) in the past year. Significant polydrug use among college student ecstasy users has important implications for their substance abuse treatment.     

Factors in marijuana cessation among high-risk youth

The rise in marijuana use among high school students has generated considerable concern. The apparent failure of current marijuana control efforts may be due in part to ignorance about why students use marijuana and what influences them to consider quitting. This article utilized both open-ended and multiple-choice surveys as well as health educator-led focus groups to assess issues related to marijuana use and cessation among a population of high-risk youth. A total of 842 students participated, assessed as two separate samples from eleven continuation high schools in southern California. Approximately 70 percent of the students are current marijuana users. Interpreting results across both samples, it is apparent that interest in quitting marijuana use among continuation high school students is high. Over half of the marijuana users surveyed have tried to quit and failed. Still, several social images associated with marijuana smokers are positive and subjects express a lack of confidence in the efficacy of marijuana cessation clinic programs. Subjects believe that either self-help or punitive methods are the most effective types of marijuana cessation activities. A reportedly high rate of failed quit attempts suggests that effective marijuana cessation programs are needed in this population. Future programs must address both reasons users resist change, including use of marijuana as a stress reliever, and the particular motivations that subjects report regarding why they desire to quit using marijuana, including legal, vocational, and health consequences.     

Coping with Competitors Coast to Coast

Abstract. Ecstasy (MDMA) has been added to the spectrum of illicit drugs used by college students. In this study, the authors estimated the prevalence of ecstasy use within a large college student sample and investigated the polydrug-use history of those ecstasy users. They administered an anonymous questionnaire to college students (N = 1,206) in classrooms at a large university in the mid-Atlantic United States. The overall student response rate was 91%. Nine percent of the sample reported lifetime ecstasy use. Because 98% of ecstasy users had used marijuana, the authors compared polydrug use between ecstasy users and individuals who had used marijuana but not ecstasy. Ecstasy users, as compared with these marijuana users, were significantly more likely to have used inhalants (38% vs. 10%), LSD (38% vs. 5%), cocaine (46% vs 2%), and heroin (17% vs 1%) in the past year. Significant polydrug use among college student ecstasy users has important implications for their substance abuse treatment.     

Marijuana use and depression

The primary goal of this study is to examine the association between marijuana use and adult depressive symptomatology. The key independent variables examined are age of marijuana initiation, frequency of current marijuana use, the use of other licit and illicit drugs, and whether marijuana was used to cope with problems. The relationships among these variables are assessed using data from the Young Men and Drugs Survey (n = 1,941), a nationally representative sample of men from the 1944-1954 birth cohort. Results show that early marijuana initiation appears to be weakly associated with increased depression in adulthood. This effect, however, is mediated by educational attainment, employment status, marital status, and other drug use, notably alcohol and tobacco use. Adult frequency of marijuana use is not significantly associated with increased depression in adulthood. Finally, marijuana users who use the drug to cope with problems are more depressed than those who do not use to cope with problems.     

Heavy alcohol use compared to alcohol and marijuana use: do college students experience a difference in substance use problems?

This study examines the risk for alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems resulting from alcohol plus marijuana use compared to alcohol-only use. Data are from telephone interviews with 1113 randomly selected college students attending two large urban universities in the southwestern United States. Alcohol and marijuana users (dual users) were more likely to be younger and report a higher mean number of drinks per occasion and experiencing all AOD problems studied compared to alcohol-only users. Multivariate logistic regression analysis findings reveal the relationship between dual-substance use and increased risk for AOD problems remained after controlling for demographics and alcohol use behaviors. Such problems include greater odds of legal problems and riding with or being an intoxicated driver. College students using alcohol and marijuana are at much higher risk for AOD problems than are students who use alcohol only, even when heavy drinking is taken into account.     

Trends in marijuana and other illicit drug use among college students: results from 4 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study surveys: 1993-2001

The authors examined changes in college students' illicit drug use, patterns of polydrug use, and the relationship between students' ages of initiation of substance use and later use of marijuana and other illicit drugs between 1993 and 2001. Data from 119 US colleges and universities in the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study were used in the study. They found significant increases in percentages of students' use of marijuana in the past 30 days (from 13% to 17%), past year (from 23% to 30%), and lifetime (from 41% to 47%) between 1993 and 2001, with most of the increase occurring between 1993 and 1997. Past 30-day use of other illicit drugs increased from 4% to 7% and past year use increased from 11% to 14%. More than 98% of marijuana and other illicit drug users used another substance. They also either smoked, were binge drinkers, and/or were users of another illicit drug. Drug prevention programs should emphasize heavy alcohol use and smoking and should start when students are in high school or earlier.     

Comment

In several anonymous questionnaire studies of college students, marijuana use has been reported to affect sexual behavior. In general, these studies show that marijuana smoking enhances sexual pleasure and increases sexual desire. Marijuana use has also been associated with more frequent sexual activity and an increased number of sexual partners. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived effects of marijuana use on the sexual behavior and sexual practices of a sample of regular marijuana .users. In contrast to other studies, subjects were not drawn exclusively from college student populations and were interviewed rather than given a questionnaire. Results, in general, confirm results of previous studies. Subjects were primarily heterosexual and sexually active. Men were more likely than women to have had multiple sexual partners. Over two thirds reported increased sexual pleasure and satisfaction with marijuana. Increased desire for a familiar sexual partner was reported by about one half. The sensations of touch and taste were particularly enhanced by marijuana. Many felt marijuana was an aphrodisiac. Marijuana use in relation to initiation of sexual activity was also assessed. Although drug use occurred prior to first intercourse for about one third of the men and women, alcohol, not marijuana, was most frequently used in this context. Most had used marijuana as a preparation for intercourse on occasion, and 20% did this on a regular basis. Possible explanations for these effects are briefly discussed.     

Exploring the association between alcohol,marijuana, and secondhand effects with rural college students

ABSTRACT

The current study investigated the association between secondhand effects and personal consequences with substance use in a sample of rural college students (N = 412; 55.1% women; 92.2% white/non-Hispanic). The study extends the body of secondhand effects research by (a) investigating the association of marijuana use with the experience of secondhand effects; (b) examining the association of onset risk of substance use (< 18 years old) with the experience of secondhand effects; (c) exploring the multiplicity of experienced effects associated with substance use by employing a four-category typology that exhaustively represents exposure to secondhand effects and personal consequences. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the data. The majority of students (90.3%) experienced undesirable effects from substance use, with 15% reporting only secondhand effects, 28.5% only personal consequences, and 46.8% reporting both secondhand effects and personal consequences. Residing on-campus, onset risk, and past 30-day alcohol or marijuana use increased risk for experiencing personal consequences and the combination of secondhand effects and personal consequences. Secondhand effects are likely to compound the harm for substance users because they often experience both secondhand effects and personal consequences.     

Abstracts of the Scientific Programs of the American College Health Association Fifty-Ninth Annual Meeting April 21–24, 1981, Boston,Massachusetts

Abstract

The authors examined changes in college students' illicit drug use, patterns of polydrug use, and the relationship between students' ages of initiation of substance use and later use of marijuana and other illicit drugs between 1993 and 2001. Data from 119 US colleges and universities in the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study were used in the study. They found significant increases in percentages of students' use of marijuana in the past 30 days (from 13% to 17%), past year (from 23% to 30%), and lifetime (from 41% to 47%) between 1993 and 2001, with most of the increase occurring between 1993 and 1997. Past 30-day use of other illicit drugs increased from 4% to 7% and past year use increased from 11% to 14%. More than 98% of marijuana and other illicit drug users used another substance. They also either smoked, were binge drinkers, and/or were users of another illicit drug. Drug prevention programs should emphasize heavy alcohol use and smoking and should start when students are in high school or earlier.     

Acute psychotic symptoms linked to adolescent marijuana use

Many adolescent marijuana users report acute symptoms — paranoia, anxiety or hallucinations — associated with their use of the drug, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School have found. Rates of these symptoms were higher among regular users, those who met criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD) and those who were also depressed.     

Voluntary After‐School Alcohol and Drug Programs for Middle School Youth: If You Build it Right,They Will Come

Few after‐school programs target alcohol and other drug (AOD) use because it is difficult to encourage a diverse group of youth to voluntarily attend. The current study describes CHOICE, a voluntary after‐school program which targeted AOD use among middle school students. Over 4,000 students across eight schools completed surveys and 15% participated in CHOICE. Analyses indicated that there were some differences between CHOICE participants and nonparticipants. For example, African American and multiethnic students were more likely to attend. Past month alcohol users were more likely to initially attend, and marijuana users were more likely to continue attendance. Thus, CHOICE reached students of different racial and ethnic groups and attracted higher risk youth who may not typically obtain prevention services.