Objectives
There is debate about
whether marijuana (cannabis) use is more dangerous than alcohol use. Although
difficult to make objective comparisons, research is needed to compare relative
dangers in order to help inform preventive efforts and policy.
Methods
Data were analyzed from a
nationally representative sample of high school seniors in the Monitoring the
Future study (2007–2011; Weighted n =
7437; modal age: 18) who reported lifetime use of alcohol or marijuana.
Students were asked to indicate whether they experienced various adverse
psychosocial outcomes resulting from use of each substance. We examined which
outcomes were more prevalent for each substance.
Results
Compared to alcohol use,
marijuana use was more commonly reported to compromise relationships with
teachers or supervisors, result in less energy or interest, and result in lower
school or job performance. Compared to marijuana use, alcohol was more commonly
reported to compromise relationships with friends and significant others; it
was also reported to lead to more regret (particularly among females), and
driving unsafely. Marijuana users were more likely to report no adverse
outcomes. Females and white students were more likely to report various adverse
outcomes and higher frequency use of each substance also increased occurrences
of reported adverse outcomes.
Conclusions
Marijuana and alcohol are
associated with unique adverse psychosocial outcomes. Outcomes differ by sex
and race/ethnicity, and perception or experience of outcomes may also be
related to legal status and associated stigma. Public health interventions may
be more effective by focusing on harm reduction strategies for these
drug-specific outcomes.
Table 6
Comparison of adverse outcomes resulting from use of alcohol and marijuana by sex.
| Alcohol | Marijuana | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male % (n = 3348) | Female % (n = 3564) | Male % (n = 2209) | Female % (n = 2084) | |||
| Caused you to behave in ways that you later regretted | 31.4 | 41.9 | 61.4*** | 11.0 | 14.4 | 7.9 |
| Hurt your relationship with your parents | 8.8 | 13.0 | 23.4*** | 12.3 | 13.2 | 0.5 |
| Hurt your relationship with your spouse, fiancée, or girlfriend/boyfriend | 9.6 | 15.6 | 42.9*** | 9.0 | 13.1 | 13.2** |
| Hurt your relationships with your friends | 6.7 | 11.7 | 39.1*** | 6.8 | 10.3 | 12.8** |
| Hurt your relationships with teachers or supervisors | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 10.0* |
| Involved you with people you think are a bad influence on you | 8.9 | 15.1 | 48.9*** | 17.6 | 24.4 | 22.0*** |
| Hurt your performance in school and/or on the job | 4.6 | 6.5 | 8.6 | 10.0 | 11.2 | 1.1 |
| Caused you to be less interested in other activities than you were before | 3.6 | 6.4 | 21.3*** | 10.3 | 14.0 | 10.5* |
| Caused you to be less stable emotionally | 4.1 | 13.7 | 159.5*** | 4.6 | 9.9 | 33.5*** |
| Caused you to have less energy | 7.1 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 17.9 | 25.6 | 28.8*** |
| Interfered with your ability to think clearly | 18.8 | 26.6 | 45.9*** | 17.9 | 25.0 | 24.8*** |
| Had other bad psychological effects | 1.7 | 3.8 | 22.4*** | 3.1 | 7.1 | 27.7*** |
| Caused your physical health to be bad | 3.2 | 5.3 | 13.7** | 3.8 | 6.0 | 8.2 |
| Caused you to drive unsafely | 9.9 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 5.9 | 7.1 | 2.1 |
| Gotten you into trouble with the police | 6.3 | 5.4 | 2.2 | 5.8 | 4.1 | 5.3 |
| Caused you none of the above problems | 11.8 | 11.6 | 0.1 | 15.7 | 12.4 | 7.3 |
Rao-Scott Chi-squares each contain 1 degree of freedom. Utilizing the Bonferroni correction,
*p < 0.003,
**p < 0.001,
Full article at: http://goo.gl/22J5zy
By:
1New York University Langone Medical Center,
Department of Population Health, New York
2Center for Health, Identity, Behavior, and
Prevention Studies, New York University, New York, USA
3Center for Drug Use & HIV Research,
New York University, New York, USA
4Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental
Medicine, New York University, New York, USA
5Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and
Public Health, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development,
New York University, New York, USA
6College of Nursing, New York University,
New York, USA
Address correspondence to Joseph J. Palamar, One Park
Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA. Tel: +1 646 754 4980. Fax: +1 646
754 5209. Email: gro.cmuyn@ramalap.hpesoj
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