Nonmedical drug use patterns among medical students.

Interrelationships in the use of nonmedical drug use and tobacco use are explored based on self-reports by 165 medical students at an average-sized southeastern medical school. Lifetime and current use of drugs among these students appears consistent with earlier studies. Several background and demographic characteristics are correlated with drug use; higher rates of use are found among males, older students, and students who frequently miss classes. No correlation is observed between drug use and class standing, sibling position, social relationships, or family drug use patterns. Tobacco use was found to be low among these medical students but was highly correlated with nonmedical drug use. Drug use patterns appear to have developed in high school and college, and to persist, albeit at a diminished rate, during medical school. The findings provide little support for the belief that marijuana or cocaine use substitutes for alcohol use; higher consumption of virtually any recreational drug is predictive of higher use of other recreational drugs.