PATTERNS OF DRUG USE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS IN THE DENVER-BOULDER METROPOLITAN AREA - AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF STUDENT ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES, FINAL REPORT

• NCJ Number: 8963
• Author(s): J T BARTER; G L MIZNER
• Date Published: 1971
• Length: 311 pages
• Grant Number(s): J-68-51
• Corporate Author: Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

INVESTIGATION OF THE PATTERNS AND EXTENT OF THE NON-MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA, AMPHETAMINES, AND LSD AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE USE OF SUCH DRUGS.

Abstract

VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE STUDENTS ENROLLED AT NINE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE TARGET AREA WERE MAILED A QUESTIONNAIRE CONCERNING VARIOUS ASPECTS OF ILLICIT DRUG USE. THIS DOCUMENT IS AN IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION OF THE TABULATED RESULTS DERIVED FROM THE 70 PERCENT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES THAT WERE RETURNED. THE FINDINGS WERE ANALYZED IN TERMS OF PATTERNS OF DRUG USE, ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS AS THEY AFFECT DRUG USE, DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, THE EFFECTS OF ALIENATION AND SCHOOL DISSATISFACTION ON DRUG USAGE, AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DRUG USE WITHIN DIFFERING COLLEGE MILIEUS. THREE OF EVERY 10 STUDENTS REPORTED THE USE OF MARIJUANA, AMPHETAMINES, AND/OR LSD ONE OR MORE TIMES. SIXTEEN PERCENT WERE CURRENTLY USING MARIJUANA, 7 PERCENT WERE USING AMPHETAMINES, AND 3 PERCENT WERE USING LSD. IT WAS FOUND THAT STUDENTS WHO REPORTED HIGH PARENTAL EDUCATION AND INCOME REPORTED THE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF DRUG USE AND THE MORE RESTRICTIVE THE RESIDENTIAL SETTING THE LESS LIKELIHOOD THERE IS OF DRUG USE. ALIENATION IN THE SENSE OF SOCIAL ISOLATION IS NOT RELATED TO DRUG USE, BUT DISSATISFACTION WITH COLLEGE IS RELATED TO SUCH USE. APPENDED MATERIAL INCLUDES A COPY OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND FOLLOW-UP LETTER USED AND A TABULATION OF THE RESPONSES TO ITEMS ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)