NCJ Number
167727
Date Published
1995
Length
48 pages
Annotation
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America's tracking study interviewed 6,029 teenagers in 1993 and 6,096 teenagers in 1995 to survey their attitudes toward and resistance to drug use.
Abstract
Teenagers in grades 7 through 12 were less resistant to drug use in 1993 than in 1995. In 1995, they were less likely to be afraid of taking drugs and were less likely to say they did not want to be around drug users. In addition, teenagers appeared to have a greater tolerance of drugs in 1995. Compared to 1993, more teenagers in 1995 strongly agreed most people would try marijuana and more considered smoking marijuana to be acceptable. Many teenagers also felt the popular culture had a more tolerant attitude toward drugs. As antidrug attitudes declined between 1993 and 1995, perceived benefits of drug use increased, with over 4 in 10 teenagers saying that being high felt good. Teenage risk perceptions of marijuana varied greatly between regular use and trial. Teenagers were much more likely to believe regular use of marijuana was a greater risk than trying marijuana once or twice. Teenage perceptions of physical and personal risks of marijuana decreased significantly between 1993 and 1995. Teenage risk perceptions of cocaine remained stable during the survey period, while exposure to and perceived availability of drugs in general increased. Teenagers in 1995 were more likely to say their friends used marijuana than teenagers in 1993, the number of teenagers who reported someone tried to give or sell them drugs increased, and there was a significant increase in the number of teenagers who used marijuana. Teenagers in 1995 indicated they had fewer discussions about drugs with their parents and grandparents, and other sources of information about the dangers of drugs, such as schools and the media, declined between 1993 and 1995. Compared to 1993, teenagers in 1995 were less likely to report seeing antidrug messages. White, black, and Hispanic teenagers were all less resistant to drug use in 1995 than in 1993. Demographic data on survey respondents are tabulated. 28 tables