Marijuana use among adolescents: a cross-sectional study with Brazilian students from a remote area of the Amazon region

Samara Borges De Souza,Gláucia Caroline Silva-Oliveira,Franciane Ferreira Costa,Aldemir Branco De Oliveira-Filho,Jocilena Pamela Quadros De Queiroz,Luiz Marcelo Lima Pinheiro

doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i14.22387

Samara Borges De Souza, Gláucia Caroline Silva-Oliveira + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i14.22387

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Abstract

Marijuana is the most used illicit drug worldwide. The frequent use of marijuana in adolescence is very worrying, as it is associated with health problems. In Brazil, surveys on the use of psychotropic drugs with adolescent students were conducted in large cities. This study determined the prevalence and factors associated with marijuana use among adolescent students in the Brazilian city of Soure, Pará, in the Amazon region. In this cross-sectional study, 736 high school adolescent students provided information through a structured form at the three schools in Soure in November 2019. Marijuana use, in life and frequent (last 30 days), was calculated. Logistic regression models identified factors associated with different marijuana use. The rates of marijuana use in life and frequent were 17.7% and 7.1%, respectively. The behavioral pattern of the adolescents' coexistence nucleus (parents, relatives, and friends) was fundamental for marijuana use in life. Also, the lack of interference or reduced participation of the family in the adolescent's life, the inadequate family structure, and the continuous example of friends were associated with the frequent use of marijuana. Measures to control and prevent marijuana use are necessary and should be available to adolescents, their families, and friends in this remote area of the Amazon region.

Highlights

Adolescence is the stage of life between childhood and adulthood, from 10 to 19 years old, and is marked by significant changes in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial fields
Some adolescents reported the participation of their parents or guardians in school life, and they talked about the use of psychotropic drugs
This study identified relevant information on marijuana use among adolescent students in the city of Soure, located in the Marajó Archipelago, one of the areas that have the lowest human development rates in Brazil

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is the stage of life between childhood and adulthood, from 10 to 19 years old, and is marked by significant changes in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial fields. These changes affect how adolescents feel, think, make decisions, and interact with others (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020a). Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug (Peacock et al, 2018). About 2.5% of the world's population (approximately 147 million people) use marijuana and consumption has increased more rapidly than cocaine and opioids (WHO, 2016). Substance use by parents and colleagues, risk perception have been described as relevant psychosocial risk factors (Chadi et al, 2018; Libuy et al, 2020)

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