NCJ Number
208537
Date Published
January 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This report presents 2002 national survey findings on the relationship between marijuana use among youth and juvenile delinquency.
Abstract
The 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) was administered to 23,645 youths aged 12 to 17 years. The survey asked youths to report how often they engaged in the following behaviors during the past 12 months: (a) serious fighting at school or work; (b) group fighting; (c) attacking someone with intent to seriously injure them; (d) stealing or trying to steal anything worth more than $50; (e) selling illegal drugs; or (f) carrying a handgun. Youths were also asked about their marijuana use during the previous year. Data indicated that 16 percent of youths (almost 4 million) reported using marijuana during the past year, while another 21 percent (over 5 million) reported engaging in serious fighting at school or work and 16 percent (almost 4 million) took part in group fighting. The data also indicated that youths involved in delinquency were more likely to report past year marijuana use than youths not involved in delinquency. For all six of the delinquent behaviors examined, the percentage of youth engaging in the behavior increased with the frequency of past year marijuana use. Figures, endnotes