Waiting for the Right One: The Role of Social Proximity and Location in the Decision to Use Cannabis for the First Time

Abstract

The study examines the social context of a cannabis offer, an outcome rarely examined in research on substance use. Drawing from a survey conducted among 15-year-old students in a mid-sized Canadian city, we examine (a) the differences between three types of users (immediate, late, and nonusers) and (b) the factors associated with accepting a cannabis offer more quickly. The findings show that 40% of the sample received an offer, that 25% of those who accept an offer do so on the first occasion, and that among the others, it takes up to seven offers before accepting. The social context of the offer distinguishes between the types of users, and offers are accepted more quickly when adolescents are first offered by a close social contact, and when the offer occurs in familiar settings. The study also identifies a type of nonuser, those who are exposed to drugs but decide not to participate.