Ethnic Differences in Factors Related to Drug Use

This paper focuses on use of six illicit drugs in a ghetto sample of American blacks, West Indian blacks, and whites and finds that peer influences are much less powerful in understanding West Indian than American black or white drug use.

Abstract

The drug abuse literature indicates that there are ethnic differences in rates and patterns of use of illicit drugs. Two possible explanations for these differences are: variations in rates of antecedent factors, and variations in processes leading to illicit use. This paper focuses on use of six illicit drugs in a ghetto sample of American blacks, West Indian blacks, and whites. Factors investigated are peer group influences, attachment to conventional patterns and attachment to deviant patterns. We find that peer influences are much less powerful in understanding West Indian than American black or white drug use.