Alcohol and marijuana use among high school and college students in Phoenix, Arizona: a test of Kandel's socialization theory.

Much of the existing research in the area of adolescent drug use is either atheoretical or poorly developed. While there is no widely accepted theory to account for an individual's decision to become involved in drugs, a number of relevant, theoretical frameworks have been developed. These include Kandel's socialization framework, based on her earlier work on selective influences of family and peers. The present research evaluates Kandel's socialization framework, and the findings tend to confirm many of her basic assumptions. The ramifications of this discovery are discussed in relation to the alienation/anomie perspective.