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Obtaining T
he 1999 National Household
Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA)
included questions related to risk
Marijuana factors associated with marijuana use
among youths aged 12 to 17 (i.e., factors
The NHSDA Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA.
Additional copies of this report may be downloaded from http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/facts.cfm. Citation of the source is appreciated. Other reports
from the Office of Applied Studies are also available on-line: http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov/.
NHSDA REPORT: OBTAINING MARIJUANA EASY FOR YOUTHS August 31, 2001
to Risk Factors
Approximately 29 percent of 42.0
youths (6.5 million) reported that 40
a few, most, or all of the adults 28.8
they knew used marijuana. 24.8
Approximately 12 percent (2.7 20 15.6
million) reported that most or all
of their friends used marijuana,
and approximately 4 percent 0
(860,000) reported that most or Marijuana A Lot of Drug Been Had Friends Knew Adults
Fairly/Very Selling in Approached Who Used Who Used
every adult they knew used Easy to Their by Drug Seller Marijuana Marijuana
marijuana. Obtain Neighborhood in Past Month
Racial/Ethnic
Differences in Risk
Factors report being exposed to each of percent), youths who reported
these five risk factors. that a few, some, or all of their
Among youths aged 12 to 17,
friends used marijuana were
there was little variation in the
more than 30 times as likely to
percentage of whites, blacks, and
Hispanics reporting that
Marijuana Use Among have used marijuana in the past
Youths at Risk month (17 percent). Youths were
marijuana would be fairly or very
also 9 times more likely to have
easy to obtain if they wanted Overall, approximately 7 percent used marijuana in the past
some (Figure 2). Compared with of youths aged 12 to 17 reported month if they knew any adults
those in other racial/ethnic using marijuana in the month who used marijuana compared
groups, blacks and Hispanics before the survey. Past month with youths who did not know
were more likely to agree that a marijuana use was higher among any adult marijuana users.
lot of drug selling went on in youths who had been exposed to
their neighborhoods, and risk factors associated with
Hispanics were more likely to marijuana use than among
have been approached by
Summary
youths who had not been
someone selling drugs in the exposed to these factors (Figure In 1999, more than half of youths
month before the survey. 3). More than one in four youths aged 12 to 17 reported that they
Hispanics were also more likely who had been approached by could obtain marijuana fairly or
to report that a few, some, or all someone selling drugs in the very easily if they wanted it.
of their friends used marijuana, month before the survey had Marijuana was available from a
and blacks were more likely to used marijuana in the past variety of sources. One in four
report that they knew at least a month. Compared with youths youths agreed that there was a lot
few adults who used marijuana. who reported that none of their of drug selling in their
Asians were the least likely to friends used marijuana (0.5 neighborhood, and almost one in
August 31, 2001 NHSDA REPORT: OBTAINING MARIJUANA EASY FOR YOUTHS
57.4
57.5
54.5
were more likely than youths of 60
45.9
to Risk Factors
44.4
42.4
other racial/ethnic groups to
41.5
41.8
39.4
report exposure to several risk
32.6
40
29.3
29.6
27.0
factors associated with marijuana
20.4
19.3
17.9
use. The rate of past month
16.2
16.1
14.8
10.7
20
marijuana use was significantly
higher among youths who
reported exposure to these risk 0
factors than among those who Marijuana A Lot of Drug Been Had Friends Knew Adults
were not exposed to these factors. Fairly/Very Selling in Approached Who Used Who Used
Easy to Their by Drug Seller Marijuana Marijuana
Obtain Neighborhood in Past Month
Figure Notes
Whites Blacks Asians Hispanics
*Data presented may differ from previously
published data from the 1999 NHSDA because
of corrections made to imputation procedures.
Source (all figures): SAMHSA 1999 NHSDA.
The National Household Survey on Drug Figure 3. Percentage of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Past
Abuse (NHSDA) is an annual survey
sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Month Marijuana Use, by Exposure to Risk Factors Associated
Mental Health Services Administration with Marijuana Use: 1999*
(SAMHSA). The 1999 data are based on
information obtained from nearly 70,000
persons aged 12 or older. The survey collects 40
data by administering questionnaires to a
Percent Reporting Exposure