Perceived cannabis use norms and cannabis use among adolescents in the United States

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.02.022Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • There have been increased concerns about adolescent cannabis use (CU).

  • We examines adolescent's perceived CU norms and CU in seven racial/ethnic groups.

  • Four non-white groups had greater odds of CU and CU disorder than Whites.

  • Adolescent CU is associated with adolescent's perceived CU norms.

  • The possibility of reducing CU via changing community norms deserves study.

Abstract

Due to changes in cannabis policies, concerns about cannabis use (CU) in adolescents have increased. The population of nonwhite groups is growing quickly in the United States. We examined perceived CU norms and their association with CU and CU disorder (CUD) for White, Black, Hispanic, Native-American, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI), and mixed-race adolescents. Data were from adolescents (12–17 years) in the 2004–2012 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (N = 163,837). Substance use and CUD were assessed by computer-assisted, self-interviewing methods. Blacks, Hispanics, Native-Americans, and mixed-race adolescents had greater odds of past-year CU and CUD than Whites. Among past-year cannabis users (CUs), Hispanics and Native-Americans had greater odds of having a CUD than Whites. Asian-Americans had the highest prevalence of perceived parental or close friends' CU disapproval. Native-Americans and mixed-race adolescents had lower odds than Whites of perceiving CU disapproval from parents or close friends. In adjusted analyses, adolescent's disapproval of CU, as well as perceived disapproval by parents or close friends, were associated with a decreased odds of CU in each racial/ethnic group, except for NHs/PIs. Adolescent's disapproval of CU was associated with a decreased odds of CUD among CUs for Whites (personal, parental, and close friends' disapproval), Hispanics (personal, parental, and close friends' disapproval), and mixed-race adolescents (personal, close friends' disapproval). Racial/ethnic differences in adolescent CU prevalence were somewhat consistent with adolescents' reports of CU norm patterns. Longitudinal research on CU health effects should oversample nonwhite adolescents to assure an adequate sample for analysis and reporting.

Keywords

Asian-Americans
Blacks
Cannabis use disorder
Hispanics
Marijuana use
Mixed-race
Native Hawaiians
Native-Americans
Pacific Islanders

Abbreviations

CU
Cannabis use
MTF
Monitoring the Future Study
NSDUH
National Survey on Drug Use and Health
NH/PI
Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders

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