Marijuana Use, by Age Group, Race/Ethnicity, and Gender (Table 3.5)

Table 3.5 allows a further elaboration of gender and racial/ethnic differences. For the total sample and among the two older age groups, prevalence levels of lifetime use were higher for males than for females within every racial/ethnic group. In general, past year and past month use also were higher among males than females within every racial/ethnic group, although some of these differences did not reach statistical significance.

For lifetime and past year prevalence, white males generally reported higher rates of marijuana use than black and Hispanic males. Overall and for each of the adult age groups, white males reported significantly higher levels of lifetime use than Hispanic males. In the 18 to 34 age groups, white males also reported higher levels of lifetime use than black males. In the total sample, past month use was comparable among white and black males. Hispanic males were less likely than whites or blacks to report past month use.

For the total sample and for each age group, white females reported higher levels of lifetime use than black and Hispanic females; additionally, lifetime use was higher among black females than Hispanic females overall and for those aged 18 to 34. For the total sample, past year use was significantly higher among black females than among Hispanic females, and past month use was more likely among black than white females.

This page was last updated on December 30, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.    Site Map | Contact Us | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Freedom of Information Act  Disclaimer | Department of Health and Human Services | SAMHSA | White House | USA.gov * PDF formatted files require that Adobe Acrobat Reader® program is installed on your computer. Click here to download this FREE software now from Adobe. What's New Highlights Topics Data Drugs Pubs Short Reports Treatment Help Mail OAS