The Marijuana Education Project (2002-2004)
Project Investigators
- Dr Greg Hamilton
- Dr Donna Cross
- Dr Ken Resnicow
- Shelley Beatty
Project Director
- Tommy Cordin
Outline and Rationale
The Marijuana Education Project is a Healthway funded project which aims to reduce the social and associated effects of marijuana use among 12 to 14 year-old students. Skill-based activities will assist young people who are experimenters or regular users to quit or reduce while encouraging those who have never used to remain that way. Implementation of this project will be conducted during the 2002 and 2003 school years with a follow-up evaluation in 2004.
The prevalence of marijuana use has increased among Australian school students during the 1990s (ever use increased by 5% among 14 to 15 year olds between 1995 and 1998) while the age of onset has decreased. Earlier onset of marijuana use may increase the risk of developing other drug-related and social problems. Students who use marijuana typically have poorer learning outcomes at school, are more likely to drop-out and risk mental health problems if they remain regular marijuana users after their teenage years.
Increases in social acceptability of the drug have led to decreased perceptions of risk and disapproval among young people in the 1990s. Over 85% of people who use marijuana obtain it from friends or acquaintances meaning strategies targeting access have had limited impact.
Currently in WA, school-based marijuana education largely addresses the needs of students who have not experimented with the drug. However, by age 15 over half of students have experimented, one quarter have used it in the previous week and 12% have used it three or more times in the last week. New approaches to improve the effectiveness of marijuana education are needed as it appears the current strategies have had limited success. Year 8 provides an ideal time to start education while use is still low (4% have used in the previous week).
Key Outcomes
The program builds on our successful Smoking Cessation for Youth Project (SCYP) conducted with over 4000 students in 30 Perth government high schools in 1999 and 2000. The SCYP intervention was successful in reduced regular cigarette smoking as well as smoking experimentation. The Marijuana Education Project comprises activities: promoting non-use and supporting non-users’ decisions not to use; reducing recruitment and delaying initiation to marijuana use; increasing cessation; and limiting use and risk associated with use.
Benefits of Project
The project is comprised of two groups of schools. The teachers from one group of schools were asked to participate in professional development related to the implementation of the marijuana materials, received follow-up support and were asked to complete brief questionnaires on their teaching. Schools will be assisted to create a supportive environment to help students who use marijuana to quit or reduce. School nurses received training to assist these students. In order to determine if the marijuana intervention was effective with 12 to 14 year-old students, a second group of schools were selected but these will not receive the marijuana materials until after the final evaluation in 2004. Teachers were asked to complete brief questionnaires related to their health education teaching. After recruitment to the project, schools will be randomly allocated to either group.
Year 8 students from both groups of schools will complete questionnaires on four occasions over three years to test and compare their marijuana-related behaviours and beliefs to determine the effect of the program.
Overall Significance in Australia/Internationally
In the 21st Century, problems related to marijuana use are predicted to increase. The impact of this innovative approach to marijuana education will provide valuable information that will be used to help schools respond to develop more effective marijuana prevention strategies in Western Australian high schools.
Funding
- Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway)
Further Information
To register your interest in the Marijuana Project and project materials you can Email t.cordin@ecu.edu.au