Drinking, Smoking, Drug Use and Gambling are More Associated with the Popular Kids than the Unpopular Ones
One in three (33 percent) high-school aged young people say they have engaged in one of the following risky behaviors in the last 30 days: smoked cigarettes, used marijuana, drunk alcohol or gambled for money. Although purchase of cigarettes, alcohol, and lottery tickets by those under 18 is illegal, and purchase of marijuana by those of any age violates the law, most high-school aged youths (ages 14-17) believe they can purchase cigarettes (70 percent), alcohol (64 percent) and lottery tickets (59 percent) within five blocks of their homes and one third (36 percent) believe they can purchase marijuana within that distance, according to analyses released today at the Adolescent Risk Conference being held by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
