05/11/2007 00:00:00
Switzerland: Some Go Without a Cigarette
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Characteristics of Cannabis Users Who Have Never Smoked Tobacco
J. C. Suris, MD, PhD; Christina Akre, MA; André Berchtold, PhD; André
Jeannin, MA; Pierre-André Michaud, MD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(11):1042-1047.
Objectives To estimate the prevalence of youth who use cannabis but
have never been tobacco smokers and to assess the characteristics that
differentiate them from those using both substances or neither substance.
Design School survey.
Setting Postmandatory schools.
Participants A total of 5263 students (2439 females) aged 16 to 20
years divided into cannabis-only smokers (n = 455), cannabis and tobacco
smokers (n = 1703), and abstainers (n = 3105).
Outcome Measures Regular tobacco and cannabis use; and personal,
family, academic, and substance use characteristics.
Results Compared with those using both substances, cannabis-only youth
were younger (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.82) and more likely to be
male (AOR, 2.19), to play sports (AOR, 1.64), to live with both parents
(AOR, 1.33), to be students (AOR, 2.56), and to have good grades (AOR,
1.57) and less likely to have been drunk (AOR, 0.55), to have started
using cannabis before the age of 15 years (AOR, 0.71), to have used
cannabis more than once or twice in the previous month (AOR, 0.64), and
to perceive their pubertal timing as early (AOR, 0.59). Compared with
abstainers, they were more likely to be male (AOR, 2.10), to have a good
relationship with friends (AOR, 1.62), to be sensation seeking (AOR,
1.32), and to practice sports (AOR, 1.37) and less likely to have a good
relationship with their parents (AOR, 0.59). They were more likely to
attend high school (AOR, 1.43), to skip class (AOR, 2.28), and to have
been drunk (AOR, 2.54) or to have used illicit drugs (AOR, 2.28).
Conclusions Cannabis-only adolescents show better functioning than
those who also use tobacco. Compared with abstainers, they are more
socially driven and do not seem to have psychosocial problems at a
higher rate.
Author Affiliations: Research Group on Adolescent Health, Institute of
Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne,
Switzerland.
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/161/11/1042
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12988
Author:
Archives of Pediatrics via UKCIA
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