Indopedia All Things Marijuana
Parents and adults spend a lot of time worrying about the influence of friends and peers when it comes to teen substance use – drinking alcohol, binge drinking, marijuana use and other illicit drugs. Is it all about an adolescent’s environment, their friends, peers and family, or is there a genetic component that drives their desire for risk taking and novelty?
Teen substance use typically begins in early adolescence and increases linearly – both in terms of prevalence rates and frequency of usePeer – until late adolescence, when a majority of teens report prior use of alcohol or illicit drugs. Conventional wisdom would argue that part of the reason substance use increases in teens is due to their experiences outside of the home, such as their friends and peers. If they hang out with teens who drink, they will probably drink themselves and vice versa. However, to really understand the importance of external influences like peers, you have to account for the influence of genetic…
