Religiosity Curbs Teen Marijuana Use By Half, National Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2008) — While many congregations of different faiths preach against drug abuse, it has been unclear whether a youth’s religious involvement has any effect on his risk of drug abuse. Now a new national study by two Brigham Young University sociologists finds that religious involvement makes teens half as likely to use marijuana. The study – which will be published October 13 in the Journal of Drug Issues – settles a question scholars have disagreed on in the past. "Some may think this is an obvious finding, but research and expert opinion on this issue have not been consistent," said BYU sociology professor Stephen Bahr and an author on the study. "After we accounted for family and peer characteristics, and regardless of denomination, there was an independent effect that those who were religious were... [read full story]