Marijuana, Gender, and Health-Related Harms: Disentangling Marijuana's Contribution to Risk in a College “Party” Context

This study examines marijuana's contribution to “risky partying” and the health-related harms experienced by college students in a “party” context. Data from a self-report survey of 787 undergraduate students at a large residential university show that marijuana users are more likely than non-users to drink excessively, use other drugs and, in turn, experience health-related harms (illness, blackouts, injury from accidents, and injury from fights). But it is primarily the frequent and heavy use of alcohol by marijuana users, and additional drugs for men, that contribute to these harms. Within a party context, students who use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs (AMD users) experience the most harms, and female AMD users experience more harms than men, despite using less. But even as marijuana use increases women's harms (specifically, blackouts and injuries from accidents), marijuana has no contributory effect on men. Implications for future research are discussed.