title: Prevalence of Marijuana Use among University Students in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
abstract: Young adults 18 to 25 years old show the highest prevalence of marijuana use in Latin America. This study analyzes the changes in prevalence of marijuana use among university students in the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) from two studies carried out in 2009 and in 2012. Data were collected through representative two-stage samples of universities and students in the Andean Community. An online survey was administered using a standardized questionnaire. Prevalence was calculated for lifetime, past year, and past month. Marijuana was the most widely used illicit substance consumed among university students, in 2009 and in 2012. Past month prevalence among university students in 2009 in Colombia was 5.27%, in Peru 1.00%, in Ecuador 1.68%, and in Bolivia 0.76%. Past month prevalence in 2012 in Colombia was 7.14%, in Ecuador 3.67%, in Peru 1.62%, and in Bolivia 1.45% in 2012. Among university students in the Andean Community, past month prevalence increased among both males and females between 2009 and 2012 in most countries. Marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug in Latin American countries. Increases in prevalence among young adults could have important implications for national drug policy.
authors.affiliation: Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Organization of American States (OAS), 1889 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA. mhynes@oas.org.
authors.forename: Marya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hynes
authors.affiliation: Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Organization of American States (OAS), 1889 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA. mdemarco@oas.org.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demarco
authors.affiliation: Global SMART Programme (Latin America), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 1889 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA. jaraneda@oas.org.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Araneda
authors.affiliation: Inter-American Observatory on Drugs, Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), Organization of American States (OAS), 1889 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA. fcumsille@oas.org.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cumsille
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002188:Cannabis; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Latin America; drug use; marijuana; university students