Study Finds Religion Can Help Deter Teen Marijuana Use

A new national study by Brigham Young University (BYU) found that religious involvement makes teens half as likely to use marijuana. The study - which will be published October 13 in the Journal of Drug Issues - also found that individual religious belief buffered peer pressure for cigarette smoking and heavy drinking.

BYU researchers said the protective effect of church and spirituality supplements the influence of parents.

“Parents shouldn’t force it, but they can encourage spirituality and religion in their families, which in itself becomes a positive influence in their children’s lives,” said BYU sociologist John Hoffmann, who co-authored the study.

Two data sets were used in the study, 13,534 students who participated in the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health and 4,983 adolescents in a state-wide survey of Utah schools. Individual religiosity was measured by two questions: one asked the students how frequently they attended church and the other asked the students to rate the importance of religion to them.

While positive results were found for drinking and marijuana use, religiosity didn’t have the same effect on use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
Researchers speculate that’s because there are strong social norms against illicit drugs throughout society, regardless if a person is religious or not. However for drinking, smoking and even using marijuana, the social norms against them are stronger among religious groups.

Another result showed that the religiosity within the community as a whole does not play as big a role as formerly thought by researchers.

"Previously, it was thought that if someone grew up in a religious community and went to church, then the community’s religious strength would make a difference,” said Stephen Bahr, who also worked on the study. “Individual religiosity is what makes the difference.""