Drug Use, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Youth in an Urban Free Clinic

Abstract

A questionnaire regarding drug use, attitudes, and behaviors was completed by youths attending a free clinic on randomly selected evenings. Compared to a sample of suburban high school youths, the clinic youths were heavier drug users and were more anti-establishment in their attitudes and behaviors. The clinic youth as a whole tended to have antiestablishment attitudes but within the sample drug use was, with specific exceptions, not related to such attitudes. Youths whose first drug was not marijuana tended to be relatively heavy users, as compared to youths who started with marijuana. Data regarding reasons for use are reported. A brief discussion focuses on society's influence on and implications with the phenomena of drug use and free clinics.