Shows tests of social learning theory in a rural middle school setting in 1975 and 1979 determined that variables (i.e., social reinforcement, social/nonsocial reinforcements, differential associations, and supportive definitions) accounted for 34 percent variance level of marijuana use in 1975 and 52 percent variance in 1979. Suggests marijuana…

Among 492 rural Ohio high school students surveyed in 1979, 78.3% had used alcohol at least once and 51.3% had used marijuana at least once, contrasting previous research reporting low substance use among rural youth. Socio-demographic and family variables had only limited utility for understanding drug or alcohol abuse. (SB)

To test a facilitative-constraint model, data about marijuana use was collected from 4,859 high school students in 2 rural southern Georgia counties. The model was useful for predicting frequency of use and classifying students as users, experimenters, and nonusers. Access to drugs and identification with drug-oriented groups were strong…