Why Do Teens Reject Drugs? Communication Is the Key, Says Rutgers Researcher

(Medical Xpress) Why do teens reject the use of marijuana?  According to a new study by researchers from Rutgers University–Camden and the University of Pennsylvania, there are several factors:  attributes of their peer group, how they let their friends know who they are, and how they perceive and communicate about drug users.

"We were intrigued with these findings," says Stacia Gilliard-Matthews, an assistant professor of criminal justice in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice at Rutgers University–Camden, who led the study, published in the Journal of Youth Studies. "Many of the adolescents in the study have peers who used drugs or had been in situations where drug use occurred. However, as we saw, they avoided use for several key reasons."

In the study, conducted between 2012 and 2014, 309 African-American and Hispanic 13- to 20-year-olds from Camden were either interviewed or surveyed about their risk-taking behavior.

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