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By Amy Norton
NEW YORK, Mar 09 (Reuters Health) - Teens whose friends smoke marijuana are far more likely to try the drug themselves, and "mild" drug warnings from parents are not enough to overcome this peer pressure, a government study shows.
A nationwide survey of 7,844 adolescents aged 12 to 17 reveals that teens who have a few close friends who smoke marijuana are 39 times more likely than other teens to have used the drug in the past year. And respondents were far more likely to try pot if they thought their friends would not be bothered by it.
Among adolescents who said their friends would be "very upset" if they tried marijuana, just 2% had used the drug in the past year. That compares with 44% of those who said their friends would not mind their marijuana use at all.
As for parental influence, the study shows that "mild antidrug attitudes" make no impression on teens. Survey respondents who thought their parents would be somewhat upset if they used marijuana were just as likely to use the drugs as those who felt their parents would not care.
"Parents need to be very, very clear that they will not accept any drug use," Dr. Ruth Sanchez-Way told Reuters Health. And, she said, the antidrug message cannot come across in a one-time-only discussion. "It needs to be done throughout life."
Sanchez-Way heads the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the federal agency that conducted the survey.
That friends play such a large role in whether teens use marijuana comes as no surprise. But, Sanchez-Way said, "this study proves scientifically that our mothers were right when they worried about who we hung around with."
She stressed that parents need to know who their children's friends are, and stay aware of their kids' feelings and attitudes by listening to the things they say.
And it is never too early to begin talking to children about drugs, she said, pointing out that the agency offers free pamphlets on talking to children as young as 4.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marijuana use increased among American high school students over the 1990s. In 1991, 31% of high school students reported using pot at some point. By 1999, that number had increased to 47%.
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