HIGH-SCHOOL ATHLETES AND MARIJUANA USE

Identifying groups of young people that might be especially susceptibl e to marijuana use would aid in the design and implementation of drug policy programs. This article examines whether those who participated in high school athletics have a different pattern of marijuana use tha n comparable non-athletes. The results indicate that male athletes hav e a higher incidence of marijuana use than non-athletes. The same is n ot true for female athletes, who actually engage in less marijuana use than their non-athlete counterparts. However, female athletes are mor e likely than non-athletes to wait until their post-high school years to try the drug for the first time.