NCJ Number
181195
Date Published
March 1999
Length
58 pages
Annotation
A survey conducted in 1996 gathered information on alcohol and other drug use among full-time and part-time undergraduate college students in New York State.
Abstract
More than 4,600 students attending 18 colleges throughout the State completed the anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. The findings were statistically projected to represent the 778,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students enrolled in the State's public and private 2-year and 4-year colleges. Eighty-one percent of the students used alcohol, 46 percent used tobacco, and 34 percent used marijuana in the year prior to the survey. Fourteen percent of the students used marijuana at least weekly, 18 percent smoked cigarettes daily, and 41 percent reported having 5 or more alcoholic drinks at 1 sitting in the prior 2 weeks. Males had higher use rates than females, students ages 16-20 years had higher use rates than older students, and suburban and upstate students had higher use rates than those attending college in New York City. Students living on campus, students involved in fraternities or sororities, and students involved in college athletics had higher use rates than others. An extremely strong association existed between being involved with substance use and experiencing a variety of other problems such as trouble with the police becoming involved in a fight, or damaging property. Students also had misperceptions about the rates of alcohol and other drug use among other students. In addition, students who were less involved with substance use believed that their close friends would disapprove of their involvement. The study's most optimistic finding was that the use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine has declined significantly from the use revealed in a comparable study conducted in 1979. Tables, figures, footnotes, and study questionnaire