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A recent surge in drug use is driven primarily by minorities, mostly Latinos, according to an article on the Web site Urban.org. Author Caterina Gouvis Roman writes that the issue illustrates the need to better understand how millions of children in immigrant families in the United States are adapting to American culture. Greater levels of acculturation by Latino youth have been associated with increased rates of smoking, drinking and substance abuse, lower rates of family formation and increased rates of dependence on government assistance programs. The article said another study found that greater youth “Americanism,” compared to their parents, was linked to substance use because of family stress and less effective parenting. “The study suggested that intervention efforts targeting the acculturation process may be less effective than addressing family-related stress and parenting,” the article says.

Source: Roman, Caterina Gouvis. “Why Rise in Latino Drug Use? Latino Students Pick UP the Bad Habits of Their U.S. Peer Group,” July 2, 2007. http://www.urban.org/publications/901095.html