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Marijuana Use Among Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth
All youth are at risk for using marijuana; Asian American youth are no exception.
- Among Asian American youth ages 12 to 17, more than one in five (20.1%) have used illicit drugs, and one out of twelve (8%) has tried marijuana at least once in their lifetime.1
- More than one third (35.3%) of Asian American youth ages 12 to 17 reported that marijuana was fairly or very easy to obtain.2
- More than one in thirteen (7.7%) Asian American youth ages 12 to 17 reported being approached by someone selling drugs in the past month.3
Drug treatment rates have risen dramatically among Asian American youth in recent years. Like all American youth, primary marijuana abuse accounts for more than half of Asian American youth substance abuse treatment admissions.
- The number of Asian American kids undergoing drug treatment in the last five years has increased by 52 percent.4
- Marijuana is the primary drug used by 62 percent of all Asian American and Pacific Islander youth ages 12 to 17 admitted for drug treatment.5
- AAPI youth had the youngest average age at admission (16.2 years of age) compared to other ethnic groups.6
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 13-17 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 drugs.7
- 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.8
Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are the third largest and second fastest growing minority group in the United States.
- Between 1990 and 2000, the number of people who reported being Asian grew 12.5 percent to 13.5 million.9
- Eight percent of the AAPI population is between 12 to 17 years old.10
References
1 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, SAMHSA, 2003.
2 Ibid
3 Ibid.
4 DASIS Report, SAMHSA, 2002.
5 Treatment Episode Data Set, SAMHSA, 1992-2002.
6 DASIS Report, SAMHSA, 2002.
7 Partnership for Drug-Free America, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, 2002.
8 Partnership for Drug-Free America, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, 2003.
9 "Hispanic and Asian Americans Increasing Faster than Overall Population,"U.S. Department of Commerce, June 14, 2004. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/race/001839.html
10 U.S. Census Bureau, 2000
