DRUGS AND AMERICAN YOUTH

by Lloyd Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1973

We are all aware how woefully scarce reliable scientific information on drug use among the young is. Just how widespread is the drug phenomenon? Who are the users? The non-users? What, if anything, differentiates the single from the multiple user? Do users' personalities and sociopolitical attitudes differ measurably from those of the non-user population? Johnson's nationwide study of 2200 males in their late teens -- a multivariate analysis -- is a serious effort to grapple with such questions; that his data provide no hard answers, only spongy dues, does not diminish the value or importance of the investigation, which should engage those involved in drug behavior research -- policy scientists formulating legislative programs, social workers who are on the front line, and anyone actively concerned with understanding the dimensions of the drug explosion. The subjects -- high school boys from 87 representative communities across the country, all part of the larger ISR longitudinal study ""Youth in Transition"" -- were initially chosen and interviewed in 1966, and a follow-up survey was conducted in 1970. Among the findings: incidence of illicit drug use in high school ""was considerably less than reports in the press had led us to expect""; marijuana was the most popular illegal drug used while the subjects were in high school (two licit drugs, alcohol and nicotine, were also included in the study); drug use ""short of addiction"" does not cause a deterioration in academic performance; drug use on the college campus does not differ in frequency from use among the general population (""one of the more surprising findings""), etc. Numerous statistical tables and graphs complement the text. A solid contribution to the debate.

Pub Date: April 1, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Institute for Social Research (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106)

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1973

Categories: NONFICTION