Teenagers who use marijuana do not necessarily go on to use harder drugs as young adults, according to a new study from the University of New Hampshire. Better predictors of illicit drug use in young adulthood were not having a job and not having a high school diploma.

• Professors Karen Van Gundy and Cesar Rebellon kept track of 1300 teenagers starting in sixth and seventh grades until they reach their early 20s.
• Using drugs such as cocaine, heroin, sedatives, stimulants, tranquilizers, analgesics, and hallucinogens in the late teens and early 20s was closely related to their stress levels during their teenage years -- and to whether they were employed, but not to whether they experimented with marijuana at younger ages.

"We were somewhat surprised to find the gateway effect was not that strong during the transition to adulthood," said Dr. Van Gundy. "Most of the previous research has examined the early drug use among people with serious drug problems. These people tend to progress from alcohol and marijuana use to other drugs."

Some were quick to criticize the Van Gundy study.

Dr. Denise Kandel of Columbia University has done research that indicates marijuana is indeed a gateway drug. She said that the flaw in the latest study was Drs. Van Gundy and Rebellon failed to consider the negative impact of using marijuana on social status and educational achievement.

"Using marijuana as a teenager can certainly have an impact on whether or not someone fails to graduate from high school or get a job," she said. "This increases the risk of persistent illicit drug use."

The Van Gundy study appears in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Labels: marijuana

Posted By: Jane St. Clair