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FACT SHEET
While marijuana use has been declining among white teens, it remains unchanged among black and Hispanic youth. 1
- Among African American youth ages 12 to 17, one out of six (17.8%) reported using marijuana at least once in their lifetime.2
- Black and Hispanic teens are more likely than their white peers to say that all or most of their friends use marijuana regularly, occasionally, or at parties.3
Availability of drugs and the misconception of the effects of marijuana use contribute to teen drug use.
- Seventeen percent of African American youth ages 12 to 17 reported being approached by someone selling drugs in the past month.4
- More than half (54.9%) of African American youth ages 12 to 17 reported that marijuana is fairly or very easy to obtain.5
- Fewer black and Hispanic youth believe there are serious negative consequences associated with marijuana use, such as upsetting parents, losing the respect of friends and family, letting other people down, and losing friends.6
Marijuana is the primary drug of choice for African American youth admitted for drug treatment.
- Marijuana is the primary drug of choice for 72 percent of all African American youth admitted for drug treatment, as compared to 60 percent of all white youth admissions, 62 percent of all Asian and Pacific Islander youth admissions, and 66 percent of all Hispanic youth admissions.7
While these trends clearly show the prevalence of drug abuse among African American youth, recent studies have indicated positives.
- The 2003 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study suggests that 64 percent of black teens would feel comfortable declining to use marijuana offered by friends.8
- The same study finds that fewer black teens feel that it is acceptable to smoke marijuana sometimes.9
Parents and other family members of teens play a critical role in preventing teens from using drugs. They can help keep kids drug-free by learning and communicating the risks of marijuana and other drugs, setting clear rules, and closely monitoring their kids' behavior.
- Two-thirds of youth ages 13 to 17 say that upsetting their parents or losing the respect of family and friends is one of the main reasons they don't smoke marijuana or use other drug.10
- Young people who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to try drugs than their peers who don't get drug information from their parents.11
African Americans are the second largest minority group in the United States, comprising nearly 12 percent of the population. The number of African American youth is increasing rapidly.12
- African Americans make up 15 percent of the nation's population in the 12 to 21 age group.13
- Between 1995 and 2015, the numbers of black youth are expected to increase by 19 percent.14
1 PDFA, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, Teen Study, 2003
2 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2003
3 PDFA, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, Teen Study, 2003
4 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2003
5 Ibid
6 PDFA, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, Teen Study, 2003
7 Treatment Episode Data Set, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1992–2002
8 PDFA, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, Teen Study, 2003
9 Ibid
10 Partnership for Drug-Free America, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, 2002
11 Partnership for Drug-Free America, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, 2003
12 Executive Summary: A Population Perspective of the United States. Population Resource Center
13 U.S. Census Bureau, 2000
14 Howard Snyder and Melissa Sickmund, Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, National Center for Juvenile Justice, US Department of Justice, September 1999, pp. 2–3
