Factors in Marijuana Cessation among High-Risk Youth

The rise in marijuana use among high school students has generated considerable concern. The apparent failure of current marijuana control efforts may be due in part to ignorance about why students use marijuana and what influences them to consider quitting. This article utilized both open-ended and multiple-choice surveys as well as health educator-led focus groups to assess issues related to marijuana use and cessation among a population of high-risk youth. A total of 842 students participated, assessed as two separate samples from eleven continuation high schools in southern California. Approximately 70 percent of the students are current marijuana users. Interpreting 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 the most effective types of marijuana cessation activities. A reportedly high rate of failed quit attempts suggests that effective marijuana cessation programs are needed in this population. Future programs must address both reasons users resist change, including use of marijuana as a stress reliever, and the particular motivations that subjects report regarding why they desire to quit using marijuana, including legal, vocational, and health consequences.