Factors in marijuana cessation among high-risk youth

The rise in marijuana use among high school students has generated consider able concern. The apparent failure of current marijuana control efforts may be due in part to ignorance about why students use marijuana and what infl uences them to consider quitting. This article utilized both open-ended and multiple-choice surveys as well as health educator-led focus groups to ass ess issues related to marijuana use and cessation among a population of hig h-risk youth. A total of 842 students participated, assessed as two separat e samples from eleven continuation high schools in southern California. App roximately 70 percent of the students are current marijuana users. Interpre ting results across both samples, it is apparent that interest in quitting marijuana use among continuation high school students is high. Over half of the marijuana users surveyed have tried to quit and failed. Still, several social images associated with marijuana smokers are positive and subjects express a lack of confidence in the efficacy of marijuana cessation clinic programs. Subjects believe that either self-help or punitive methods are th e most effective types of marijuana cessation activities. A reportedly high rate of failed quit attempts suggests that effective marijuana cessation p rograms are needed in this population. Future programs must address both re asons users resist change, including use of marijuana as a stress reliever, and the particular motivations that subjects report regarding why they des ire to quit using marijuana, including legal, vocational, and health conseq uences.