Pamela Preston
Penn State Schuylkill, Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, USA
After tobacco and alcohol, marijuana is the most frequently used and abused substance. Its use is particularly prevalent among young adults, aged 18 to 25. This study examines the role strain plays in chronic (as opposed to recreational) marijuana use. Three theoretical perspectives are included in this analysis: General Strain Theory, Social Learning, and Self Control. Data from the 2001 National Household Survey of Drug Abuse are used to determine the relative effects of peers (social learning), strain (general strain theory), and favorable attitudes toward risk-taking (self control). Data is divided into subsamples on the basis of gender. Logistic Regression analysis suggests that males are more likely to be chronic users, and that psychological strain, social learning, and low self control are significant factors associated with chronic use. Furthermore, strain has a stronger effect on chronic use for minority group members, as does a propensity to risky behavior. Social learning has a stronger effect on nonminority group members. All factors have a stronger significant effect on female chronic marijuana use than on male marijuana use (except for the demographic variable education). Policy implications and suggestions for future research are also included.
Once limited to use by a small subculture, marijuana use has become common across age, social class, and ethnic groups. Young or traditional college age adults use marijuana more
often than other age groups. Data from the National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (2001) show that adults between the ages of 18 and 25 use marijuana an average of almost 28 days per year. This is almost 15 days per year more than juveniles (12 to 17 years old), 21 days more than 35 to 49 year olds, and almost 27 days more than those aged 50 and older.
For many of these users, marijuana use is associated with a social event, something to do with friends on a weekend or special occasions. For others it is a more regular or even daily activity. This chronic marijuana user, as often as not, smokes alone. He or she no longer views marijuana use as a social activity; rather, it becomes a crutch needed to get through the day. It becomes a form of self-medication. The propensity to use marijuana on a regular (nonsocial) basis may have deleterious effects on the young adult’s current situation and future. Chronic users enrolled in colleges and universities may miss classes, assignments, and exams, and all users may experience and/or exhibit depression or antisocial behavior. While many campuses are concerned with drug use by both resident and commuter students, there may be a fundamental difference in causal factors between the recreational and the chronic marijuana user. Whereas the marijuana use may be problematic for the recreational user (leading him or her to miss important deadlines, etc.), marijuana use by the chronic user may be more as symptom of underlying problems or issues that affect his or her performance in school, on the job, and in life. Institutions and agencies devoted to addressing drug use and abuse by young adults need to be cognizant of possible differences of motives for drug use. This study compares the relative effects of strain, social learning, and low self control on level of marijuana use among young adults.
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