It's a commonly held belief that marijuana use by teens predicts, on some level, future drug and alcohol abuse. A recent study by the University of Pittsburgh is challenging that belief. After studying 214 boys for 12 years, the team at Pitt found that nearly a quarter of the boys exhibited a reverse pattern; using marijuana before they'd ever smoked a cigarette or had one drink.

"This evidence supports what's known as the common liability model, an emerging theory that states the likelihood that someone will transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of a particular drug but instead by the user's individual tendencies and environmental circumstances."

Dr. Ralph Tarter, Ph.D., lead author of the study, believes this proves that anti-drug campaigns need to spend less time talking about the drugs themselves, and more time talking about parenting skills and personal character. Read more at ScienceDaily.com.