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.
Read this if you are a college student, parent, or educator interested in how the campus environment shapes marijuana use patterns.
Rural students' marijuana use rose to match urban peers by junior year
What the researchers 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.
Why it 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 numbers in context
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 the study worked
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.
What this study cannot 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.
How to read the evidence
This longitudinal cohort tracked students over three years with yearly assessments, providing moderate evidence on substance use trajectories during the college transition.
When this study was published
Published in 2018 with data from a southeastern university. Cannabis legalization has expanded significantly since data collection.
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.
Questions still open
- 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?
Common questions
Do rural students use more or less marijuana in college?
What most strongly predicted marijuana use?
Read the original research
Rural and urban substance use differences: Effects of the transition to college.
The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 44(2), 224-234
Citation
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
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