Rural students started college using less marijuana than urban students but caught up by junior year
A longitudinal study of 431 college students found that rural students had lower marijuana and alcohol use as freshmen compared to urban peers, but their rates rose to match urban levels by junior year, driven largely by perceived peer use.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Researchers tracked substance use among 431 college students from freshman through junior year, comparing rural and urban backgrounds.
As freshmen, rural students were less likely to use alcohol and marijuana than their urban counterparts. By junior year, rural students' rates had risen to match urban levels. This convergence suggests the college environment itself drives substance use increases regardless of background.
Tobacco showed a different pattern: no rural/urban differences overall, though rural minorities were more likely to use tobacco across all years.
The strongest predictor of future substance use across all years and all substances was perceived peer use. Students who believed their peers were using more alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana were significantly more likely to use that substance themselves in subsequent years.
Key Numbers
431 students tracked (48% male). Rural students started with lower marijuana and alcohol use as freshmen. Rates converged by junior year. Perceived peer use was significant predictor across all substances and all years.
How They Did This
Longitudinal cohort study of 431 undergraduate students (48% male) from a large public southeastern university. Self-reported substance use data collected yearly during freshman, sophomore, and junior years. Rural/urban background determined by hometown characteristics.
Why This Research Matters
The college transition represents a critical window for substance use escalation. Understanding that rural students catch up to urban peers suggests that campus culture and perceived norms may be more influential than pre-college background in shaping long-term use patterns.
The Bigger Picture
This study challenges the assumption that pre-college substance use patterns persist through college. The finding that perceived peer use is the strongest predictor of future use suggests that social norms interventions on college campuses could be effective for students from all backgrounds.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single university in the southeastern US may not generalize to other regions or institution types. Self-reported data is subject to recall and social desirability bias. Rural/urban classification was binary and may not capture the full spectrum of community types. Attrition over three years was not detailed.
Questions This Raises
- ?Do rural students who attend college in rural areas show the same convergence pattern?
- ?Would correcting misperceptions about peer use reduce the escalation seen in rural students?
- ?Do these patterns hold at universities in states with legal recreational cannabis?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Rural students' marijuana use rose to match urban peers by junior year
- Evidence Grade:
- This longitudinal cohort tracked students over three years with yearly assessments, providing moderate evidence on substance use trajectories during the college transition.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2018 with data from a southeastern university. Cannabis legalization has expanded significantly since data collection.
- Original Title:
- Rural and urban substance use differences: Effects of the transition to college.
- Published In:
- The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 44(2), 224-234 (2018)
- Authors:
- Derefinko, Karen J, Bursac, Zoran(2), Mejia, Michael G, Milich, Richard, Lynam, Donald R
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01640
Evidence Hierarchy
Follows a group of people over time to track how outcomes develop.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Do rural students use more or less marijuana in college?
They start lower as freshmen but catch up. By junior year, rural students' marijuana use rates matched their urban peers, suggesting the college environment itself drives convergence.
What most strongly predicted marijuana use?
Perceived peer use was the most significant predictor across all years and all substances. Students who believed their peers used more marijuana were more likely to use it themselves.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01640APA
Derefinko, Karen J; Bursac, Zoran; Mejia, Michael G; Milich, Richard; Lynam, Donald R. (2018). Rural and urban substance use differences: Effects of the transition to college.. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 44(2), 224-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2017.1341903
MLA
Derefinko, Karen J, et al. "Rural and urban substance use differences: Effects of the transition to college.." The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2017.1341903
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Rural and urban substance use differences: Effects of the tr..." RTHC-01640. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/derefinko-2018-rural-and-urban-substance
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.