answered "yes" to these questions are shown in table 1.Peer approval varied by type of substance, with more students saying their friends approved of alcohol than marijuana and more reporting approval of both substances than of other drugs. Forty-four percent of U.S. students in grades 6 through 12 said that their friends at school accept drinking alcohol, about one in five students (20 percent) indicated peer acceptance of marijuana, and approximately one in seven students (14 percent) reported peer acceptance of drugs other than alcohol and marijuana (table 1).Differences in Student Reports of Peer Approval by School and Student CharacteristicsAs students advance through middle school and high school, they are more likely to report peer approval of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Reports of peer approval of alcohol use in the 9th and 10th grades were over twice those in the 6th through 8th grades for alcohol (57 percent versus 21 percent). While overall peer approval was lower for marijuana and for other drugs than for alcohol, the relative differences in approval level between grades 6 through 8 versus grades 9 and 10 are greater. In addition, the reported peer approval level of 11th and 12th grade students was over three times greater than that of 6th through 8th grade students for alcohol, about five times greater for marijuana, and about four times greater for other drugs (table 1). Smaller differences, but differences nevertheless, were evident between 9th and 10th graders and 11th and 12th graders in reports of peer approval of alcohol and marijuana use.The percentage of students who reported peer approval of substance use also varied by the type of school the students attended. Students attending private schools were less likely than their contemporaries in assigned or chosen public schools to report peer approval of marijuana use. Similarly, private school students reported less peer approval of the use of other drugs whe...
