Research

Cannabis eCHECKUP TO GO Research

Research done at the Harvard School of Public Health, published in the Journal of American College Health (2003), indicated that the percentage of college students using marijuana increased significantly between 1993 and 2001. Furthermore, the Harvard data point to a troubling connection between marijuana use and alcohol abuse, noting that. approximately 98% of students who use marijuana also binge drink and/or use other illicit substances. Campus counseling center psychologists’ clinical experiences working with college students point to the same connection between marijuana use and binge drinking.

The Harvard research documented that 17% of college students report that they have used marijuana in the past month, 30% in the past year and 47% in their lifetime. The most recent data from the Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Studies (2003 Core Survey of 38,857 undergraduates from 89 campuses)^** report that 35% of undergraduates report using marijuana in the past year and 20% have used in the past 30 days. These two studies show a troubling trend of increasing use of marijuana by college students across the country.

The documented increase in marijuana use among college students across the country and the troubling connection between marijuana use and binge drinking provided the impetus for us here at San Diego State University to create an integrated prevention and intervention approach that could be effectively used on college campus. The alcohol and marijuana e CHECKUP TO GO programs are web-based tools that can be used by campus health professionals in Counseling and Health Centers as a part of clinical assessments and interventions, and at the population-level as prevention education tools for campus health promotions professionals, housing and residential life staff, first year freshman experience faculty, and AOD staff.

References

Mohler-Kuo, M., Lee, J. E., & Weschler, H. (2003) Trends in marijuana and other illicit drug use among college students: Resust from 4 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study Surveys: 1993-2001. Journal of American College Health, 52, NO 1, 17-24.

O'Malley, P.M., & Johnston, L.D. (2002). Epidemiology of alcohol and other drug use among American college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Supplement 14.

Stephens, R.S., Roffman, R.A., & Curtin L. (2000). Comparison of extended versus brief treatments for marijuana use. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 5, 898-908.