New Study: Blacks Youths Do Fewer Drugs Than All Ethnic Groups Except Asians

Maia Szalavitz at Time.com points to a new study of 72,000 youths which says blacks are less likely to use or abuse drugs than most other groups.

The study, which was published Monday in the Archives of General Psychiatry, controlled for variables like socioeconomic status because rates of severe drug problems tend to be greater amongst the poor. Despite this, Native American youth fared worst, with 15% having a substance use disorder, compared to 9.2% for people of mixed racial heritage, 9.0% for whites, 7.7% for Hispanics, 5% for African Americans and 3.5% for Asians and Pacific Islanders.

The rest here.

Jacob Sullum on California's racial disparity in pot arrests. Other Reasonoids cover recent studies on medical marijuana and youth drug abuse, the now-retracted RAND study which suggested crime went up after medical marijuana dispensaries closed, and the NYPD's stop and frisk policy which lead to five times as many blacks and Latinos being arrested for marijuana possession as whites.

Reason on drugs and drug policy. As well as on race, which includes further looks at the nasty bias in drug war sentencing. 

Comments

[Mark]

How do you control for "variables like socioeconomic status?"

[Sidd Finch]

New Study: Blacks Youths Do Fewer Drugs Than All Ethnic Groups Except Asians

First, you're a liar. The problems with the post were pointed out by numerous commenters last night before you took it down. Second, you're stupid. That's the only explanation for using "fewer" instead of "less." Proving yourself to be a stupid liar in the fucking title of a blog post is an impressive feat though.

[JB]

Did the study account for people lying?

I imagine blacks are more likely to lie about drug use. It's a completely rational behavior as they are more likely to be targeted for arrest.