The role of religiosity as a protective factor against marijuana use among African American, White, Asian, and Hispanic adolescents

Given the moves toward legalization of marijuana in the United States and problems associated with adolescent marijuana use, this study focused on examining the role of religiosity in protecting African American, White, Hispanic, and Asian American adolescents from using marijuana. It also tested the moderation effects of race on religiosity and marijuana use. Results of the main effects revealed that religiosity may serve as a protective factor against marijuana use for African American, White, Hispanic, and Asian American adolescents. Race did not have moderating effects on the relationship between religiosity and marijuana use in the sample. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.