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Patterns of substance use on a college campus: a 14-year comparison study
E W Patterson1, G Myers, D M Gallant
1Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
|January 1, 1988
Summary
Drug use among university students significantly changed between 1972 and 1986. Cocaine use increased dramatically, while amphetamine and barbiturate use declined, with early experimentation noted for many substances.
Area of Science:
- * Public Health
- * Sociology
- * Epidemiology
Background:
- * A 1972 drug incidence survey at a private southern university established baseline drug use patterns among 1,032 students.
- * Initial findings indicated high rates of alcohol and tobacco use, with significant experimentation in marijuana.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To assess changes in drug usage trends over a 14-year period.
- * To compare drug experimentation patterns between 1972 and 1986 in the same student population.
Main Methods:
- * Replication of a random drug incidence survey at the same private southern university.
- * Comparison of self-reported drug use data from 1972 and 1986 surveys.
Main Results:
- * A decline in the use of amphetamines and barbiturates was observed between 1972 and 1986.
- * Cocaine use saw a nearly fourfold increase in one-time use and a sixteenfold increase in frequent use (more than 10 times).
- * Early initiation of drug use was prevalent, with one-third of marijuana users starting by 9th grade.
Conclusions:
- * Significant shifts in illicit drug trends occurred among university students over 14 years.
- * Cocaine emerged as a drug of increasing concern, with a notable rise in usage.
- * Early onset of drug experimentation, particularly with marijuana, is a critical public health issue.