Illicit Drug Use and Consumption of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Over-the-Counter Medicine among Adolescents

Abstract

Over 9,000 junior and senior high school students in 79 schools in 10 cities completed an anonymous questionnaire concerning use of and attitudes toward licit and illicit drugs. Single and multivariate analyses indicated strong and statistically significant relationships between the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and over-the-counter medicines and experience with illicit drugs. Also, the user of illicit drugs is also a relatively frequent user of licit drugs—alcohol, tobacco, and over-the-counter medications. The user is more likely than the nondrug user to be a “trier,” if not a consistent consumer of a variety of different substances. The patterns of relationships held across cities, types of schools, and age levels, and distinguished between those ever using illicit drugs vs never using them, present vs former users, and single vs polydrug users. Various alternative explanations are discussed.