Drugs and Violence Among Ontario Students

Abstract

In this research the links among violent and nonviolent delinquency and the use of alcohol and other drugs were investigated. The data were derived from the 1995 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey, a cross-sectional probability survey of Ontario students in grades seven, nine, 11 and 13 (n=3,870). Students were classified into four groups: those who reported engaging in no delinquency, those who reported violent delinquency only, those who reported nonviolent delinquency only, and those who reported both violent and nonviolent delinquency. As expected, individuals who reported violent delinquency also reported the most frequent use of cocaine and amphetamine. The association of violent delinquency with alcohol use was not as strong as expected; nonviolent delinquents reported the most frequent use.

Keywords:

• delinquency
• drugs
• students
• violence