Abstract

        This study has two purposes: to provide a statistical portrait of teen girls and boys who have and have not used marijuana, and to present analytical estimates of teen behaviours and home situations in 2003, given their situation eight years earlier and their current use or non-use of marijuana. In 2003, 50% of girls and 53% of boys aged 14 to 19 had used marijuana.

        Tables provide marijuana use rates and other summary statistics for a wide variety of subgroups of girls and boys. The subgroups are classified according to characteristics of the child, teen (same children), parents, family, and neighbourhood and school. In general the use rates are much higher (by 10% plus) in the "negative" (according to our assumptions) subgroups.

        Some of these negative qualities for the child are the following: religiously unaffiliated, problems getting along with other children or with the teachers, and poor reading ability. Negative qualities of the same children as teens include self-reported intoxication, smoking, use of LSD and other illicit drugs, attempted suicide, being questioned by the police, anger, vandalism, sexual intercourse, neglect of using birth control, and having friends who drink, smoke marijuana or drink.

        Teens were more likely to have tried marijuana if their main parent eight years earlier had smoked, drank heavily occasionally, did not worship, were religiously unaffiliated, tended not to enjoy life, or felt things were an effort. In contrast, many groups who had parents with positive qualities had lower marijuana use rates: a Biblical faith, frequent worship and a volunteer, receiving help from religious leaders or communities, and child never escaping punishment.

        Marijuana use is the most important variable by far in the model for girls and boys, as expected. The factors besides marijuana use analysed in this study are the parent's age, sex, marital status, education, household income, and worship frequency; and the child's age and sex, and region of residence, all measured in 1994-95.

        Given the 1994-95 factors, marijuana use by teen girls was negatively associated with several healthy traits such as happiness with life, being hopeful of the future, enjoyment of helping others, closeness to parents, age of first sex (younger), and non-use of birth control.

        Associations were positive with several unhealthy traits and family weaknesses, such as parental worry over money, no religious affiliation, getting upset easily, consideration of suicide, attempted suicide, parents often upset with each other, parents separated or divorced, damaging things, being questioned by the police, having had sex, non-marijuana use, selling drugs, drinking alcohol, getting intoxicated, smoking, and having close friends who smoke, drink alcohol, try drugs.

        Almost the same associations were found for boys. Very few results were contrary to the expectation of marijuana use being negatively associated with virtues,and positively with unhealthy choices.