Perceptions of Harm and Factors Influencing Marijuana Use among Young African American Men who are Current Marijuana Users

Introduction: Marijuana usage is associated with risk behaviors, impaired respiratory function, and cognitive impairment. The current study examined perceptions of harm and factors influencing marijuana use among current users. Methods: Trained interviewers administered surveys to 415 African American men between 19 and 30 years of age in five representative counties of the Alabama Black Belt. Current marijuana use was defined as use within the past 7 days. Results: Sixty-four respondents (15.4%) were current marijuana users (mean 8.7 years and 2 joints/day). The median age of initiation was 16. Half said their initiation was affected by friends or family use although only 22.6% felt pressure to start. The most common sources encouraging marijuana use were music and television. Similarly, only 22.6% remembered any factors discouraging use with the greatest being family. Boredom was the most important influence in initiation. Only 30.6% believe smoking marijuana is harmful, 73.3% believe it is safer than cigarettes, and 20.0% believe marijuana causes cancer. Three-fourths said they could stop smoking if they wanted and 40.3% thought quitting would be very easy. The most important reasons for potentially quitting were health effects (79.2%), legal concerns (60.4%), and family influence (56.5%). Half of current users have tried to quit. The largest obstacles to quitting were stress relief (43.5%) and physical craving (32.3%). Discussion: In this population, most current users feel marijuana is not very harmful and quitting is easy. Efforts to discourage marijuana use should provide education on health effects, evaluation of media messages, and encourage family involvement.