Risk of polysubstance use among sexual minority and heterosexual youth

Alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes are three of the most commonly used drugs among youth, with estimated usage rates in the past 30-days of 32.8%, 21.7%, and 10.8%, respectively (Kann, 2016). A subgroup of youth that appears to be at an increased risk of using alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes is sexual minority youth (SMY) (Marshal et al., 2008). Youth who use these substances are at risk of several negative health and social outcomes, such as addiction, and poorer cognitive, social, and academic functioning (Hingson and Kenkel, 2004; Mathers et al., 2006; Volkow et al., 2014).
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Full length article Source Type: research