Recalled adolescent peer norms towards drug use in young adulthood in a low-income, minority urban neighborhood

We investigated the relationship between the drug use norms of young adults ' peers (recalled from age 15) and subject's drug use in the past 12 months . Subjects included two samples of 18-24 year olds from a low income, minor ity neighborhood in New York City: A probabilistically selected household s ample, and a targeted sample of users of cocaine, heroin, crack or injected drugs. Norms varied by drug, and were least negative for marijuana, and in creasingly negative for cocaine, heroin, crack, and injected drugs. We foun d a strong relationship between recalled norms and current use both for ind ividual drugs and for a hierarchically defined level of drug use; this rela tionship remained significant after controlling for sociodemographics and p arental and sibling drug use. intervention programs for young teens that in fluence peer selection and norms of groups of adolescents should be develop ed and tested. Research is needed on the social, economic, political, and o ther determinants of norms in their neighborhood contexts.