Adverse or negative consequences of drug use are frequently emphasized in drug prevention programs for adolescents. However, it has not been established whether the experience of such negative effects actually reduces the use of various drug substances. In this study, data from a large group of adolescents are used in three connected analyses regarding the relationship of acute adverse reactions and drug use. First, the interrelationships of acute adverse reactions to alcohol, marijuana, hallucinogens, and PCP were examined. There is a nonstepwise progression in the lifetime experience of negative drug reactions, suggesting that acute adverse reactions to marijuana are not a necessary precondition to having such experiences with hard drugs. Second, drug use patterns and the presence of acute adverse drug reactions over a period of 1 year were studied. Although there were strong within-occasion relationships, there was little evidence for across-time effects of apresumbly causal nature. Third, acute adverse reactions were not linked to feelings of psychological distress, although high distress was a precursor to later drug use. Implications for drug abuse prevention programs are discussed.
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Huba et al. (1986) studied this question.