| Abstract: | Studied survey data collected in 1978–1981 examining prior and current drug use in 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in Maryland public schools. A 6-variable model (legal drugs, cannabis, pills, psychedelics, cocaine, and heroin) was used to examine the sequential and cumulative nature of drug use in a sample of 2,036 students drawn from a total sample of 34,479 males and females. Guttman scaling, using current use data for both the original and a cross-validational sample, found a stable, sequential, and cumulative hierarchy of drug use in all grades. Regression analysis of psychosocial variables found that age at first use; frequency of use of marihuana, alcohol, and cigarettes; and amount of available spending money emerged as significant predictors of use, but with little difference in predictors between the 6 drug categories. For individuals who go on to hard drug use, the data indicate that initiation into the sequence begins with a legal substance such as alcohol or tobacco and proceeds through use of marihuana. The relationship between prevalence, as well as intensity of drug use, and several psychosocial variables (e.g., academic goals, grades, spending money) emphasizes the need for further causal modeling. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
