Opportunities to use drugs and stages of drug involvement outside the United States: Evidence from the Republic of Chile

Publication year: 2009
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 27 March 2009
Luis, Caris , Fernando A., Wagner , Carlos F., Ríos-Bedoya , James C., Anthony

 Background: Studying youthful drug involvement in the Republic of Chile, we sought to replicate North American research findings about the earliest stages of drug involvement (e.g., initial opportunities to use tobacco and alcohol, and transitions leading toward illegal drug use). Methods: A nationally representative multistage probability sample of middle and high school students was drawn; 30,490 youths completed surveys that assessed age at first drug exposure opportunities and first actual drug use. Cox discrete-time survival models accommodate the complex sample design and provide transition probability estimates. Results: An estimated 39% of the students had an opportunity to use cannabis, and 70% of these transitioned to…