The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of crack use among adolescents living in a large southwestern city, and to study relationships between crack use and marijuana use. This included investigating reasons as well as associated circumstances for both crack use and marijuana use; and whether marijuana use would predict crack use. High school seniors (N = 269) were asked to disclose information about their marijuana (and hashish) use and non-use, and crack use and non-use. Preliminary computation of the results revealed only 2.6% of respondents indicating crack use; thus statistical analysis of that data was not warranted. Computation of the results indicated 34% of respondents reporting marijuana use; therefore, the focus of the study shifted to marijuana exclusively, resulting in a final sample size of n = 92. Two specific phenomena were investigated: crack use and marijuana use. Discriminant analysis of the data was performed to (1) measure differences in frequencies (indicated as "seldom" and "occasionally") of respondents' marijuana use a predicted by particular circumstances and reasons for its use; and (2) to measure whether students' marijuana use would predict crack use. Statistical significance using Chi square and canonical correlation was calculated for each set of variables. Chi square (5) = 46.10 yielded significance (p <.001) for five of nine circumstances as predictors of marijuana use: "At a party" was the best discriminating variable. Chi square (4) = 36.73 yielded significance (p <.001) for four of thirteen reasons as predictors of marijuana use; "To get high" was the best discriminating reasons variable. The study succeeded in determining several drug-related attributions: (1) there is one-third less prevalence of crack use among adolescents in the area being researched than is reported nationally; (2) there is about the same prevalence of marijuana use as nationally reported; (3) there are specific associated circumstances which predict frequency of marijuana use; and (4) there are specific associated reasons which predict frequency of marijuana use. Finally, although it is not data-based, marijuana appears to be a predictor of crack use, i.e., all seven crack users reported having used marijuana prior to crack use.

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