Marijuana is Drug of Choice for Youthful Drug Arrestees

WASHINGTON, DC - Young adult arrestees use marijuana more than any other drug, according to a new Department of Justice report released June 29.

The report, "The Rise of Marijuana as the Drug of Choice Among Youthful Adult Arrestees," indicates a rapid increase in marijuana use among youthful adult arrestees (ages 18-20) from an average of 25 percent in 1991 to 57 percent in 1996 among the 23 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program sites. Other data sources indicate a moderate increase among young adults who did not come into contact with the criminal justice system during the same time period.

Between 1996 and 1999, rates of marijuana use among young adult arrestees held steady at 60 percent. Over the same period, the overall rate for marijuana use among all arrestees (18 and over) at the ADAM sites held constant at 37 percent.

For more information or to obtain a copy of this publication, go to the National Institute of Justice Website at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij and click on "What's New."