Social Class and Drug Use among Metropolitan Hinterland High School Students

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Abstract
Of a random sample of 386 students from 3 high schools representing differential social class status and drawn from the Oakland County, Michigan area, only 88 (23%) reported they had used any non-medically prescribed drugs. School A (upper middle-class suburban) reported significantly greater use of drugs than School B (lower middle-class suburban) and School C (lower middle-class semi-rural). School A also reported earlier use of drugs and poorer relations with parents than Schools B and C. The study supports two theories about this deviant behavior: (1) the more alienated the group the greater the likelihood of engaging in deviant behavior; (2) the greater the opportunity to engage in a particular kind of behavior the greater the chance of that behavior occurring. School A students seemed to be the most alienated from their parents and had the greatest opportunity, financially speaking, to get the drugs they desired.

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