Citation

Hamilton HA, Owusu-Bempah A, Boak A, Mann RE. J. Ethn. Subst. Abuse 2018; 17(2): 123-134.

Affiliation

University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15332640.2017.1312655

PMID

28489512

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the association of ethnoracial background and immigrant status to cannabis use among students in Ontario, Canada. Data were derived from the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a school-based, province-wide survey of students in Grades 7-12. The survey utilized a stratified two-stage cluster design. Analyses were based on a pooled subsample of 12,527 students in Grades 9-12 during the 2011 and 2013 survey cycles and included adjustments for the complex sample design.

RESULTS indicate that youth who were of South Asian or East/Southeast Asian background were at lower odds of cannabis use than those who were White, Black, or mixed-race backgrounds. Youth who were of mixed-race background (i.e., White and another group) were at higher odds of cannabis use than youth who were of White background. The association between ethnoracial background and cannabis use also varied for some foreign-born and native-born youth. These findings suggest that ethnoracial background should be an important consideration in investigations of cannabis use among foreign- relative to native-born youth.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescents; cannabis use; ethnicity; immigrant status; race; youth