Understanding Differences in Marijuana Use Among Urban Black and Suburban White High School Students from Two U.S. Community Samples

Abstract

To examine community/racial differences in adolescent marijuana use and the variations in factors underlying the observed differences, a questionnaire survey study was conducted with 9th to 12th graders (n = 1,936) from two communities in New Jersey. Marijuana use was significantly higher among suburban (mostly White) students than among their urban (mostly Black) counterparts. Significant differences in marijuana use between the two community sub-samples were explained by differences in type of risk factors, mean number of risk factors, and the strength of the association (slopes) between risk factors and marijuana use. Social-environmental factors (including positive after-school activities and negative peer influences) and, to a lesser degree, family factors (including family income, parental and sibling drug use), accounted for most community/racial differences in marijuana use