Alcohol and Drug Use Among Undergraduates Attending an Urban University Campus

Drug use and alcohol use on college campuses continues to be a significant public health concern. The 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that current illicit drug use was 21.5% among young adults, ages 18 to 25 years. Young adults enrolled in full time college were more likely than their peers who were not enrolled full time to binge drink (42.4% vs 35.6%). The purpose of this study was to survey an urban university student population to examine factors associated with alcohol and marijuana use. The University Drug and Alcohol Survey (Survey) was developed by consensus of three of the co-authors, Cronbach alpha was 0.96. The Survey was divided into Attitude and Practice. 568 university students responded to the online anonymous survey. The majority of respondents were female (65.7%) and white (75.1%). Of the individuals surveyed 62.7% reported using marijuana and 82.7% admitted to underage alcohol use. Students who endorsed living in campus housing were 38% less likely to report marijuana use (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.44-0.87, p=0.006). Individuals had 28 times the odds of marijuana use if they have a history of underage drinking (OR 27.90, 95% CI 13.64 - 57.07). Approximately 10% of individuals surveyed thought that marijuana usage had opened the door to other mind altering substances. The survey supports the reduced odds of marijuana use associated with on-campus housing. In addition, there appears to be a strong association between underage drinking and marijuana use. These findings should inform university housing policies.