Onset and lifetime use of drugs in New Zealand: Results from Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand Mental Health Survey 2003–2004

Abstract

Interventions to prevent or to delay the onset of drug use need to occur before and during adolescence. The major cohort differences and the widespread experience of cannabis use help to explain the diversity of opinion in New Zealand about how to deal with this drug.

Prioritizing Alcohol Prevention: Establishing Alcohol as the Gateway Drug and Linking Age of First Drink With Illicit Drug Use

“…According to Vanyukov et al (pS7) the use of licit drugs often precedes the use of illicit drugs, suggesting that it is “alcohol and tobacco use rather than marijuana and ‘hard’ drugs that need to be prevented, because once the licit outset of the sequence is barred there should be no danger that the rest of it will materialize.” Youth who progress through the hypothesized “gateway theory” sequence outlined herein (ie, alcohol initiation preceding marijuana use, and then followed by other drugs) initiate their substance use at an earlier age than youth who do not progress through these three substance classes . Moreover, Fergusson et al (p174) contend “alcohol use may play a small gateway effect in encouraging illicit drug use, with increasing alcohol use being associated with increasing illicit drug use even after control for both the use of cannabis and reverse causal effects.” Similar to our findings, previous work has found the mean age of first use of alcohol to be lower than other illicit substances and licit substances . When compared with other licit (tobacco) and illicit substances, the prevalence of alcohol initiation in our sample was greater in each grade assessed.…”

Cross-National Comparisons of Sex Differences in Opportunities to Use Alcohol or Drugs, and the Transitions to Use

“…Thus, across-country differences in opportunities and progression to use for specific types of drugs cannot be estimated. Although cannabis is the first drug to be used in many countries (Degenhardt et al, 2008; Wells, McGee, Baxter, Agnew, & Kokaua, 2009), so results for opportunity to use will be for cannabis, this is not the situation in countries such as Nigeria where cannabis use is uncommon (Gureje et al, 2007). …”

The adolescent brain at risk for substance use disorders: a review of functional MRI research on motor response inhibition

“…The purpose setting the age limit (≤20 years old) is that SU initiation, which occurs during early adolescence, is typically followed by a steep escalation of SU throughout adolescence [16]. This rationale is further strengthened by the clinical observation that early academic and social failures in adolescents with ADHD potentially amplify the risk for antisocial or risk-taking behaviors that are in turn associated with later SUDs [17].…”