Numerous people have been turning to marijuana, as their initial substance of choice, instead of consuming alcohol or smoking cigarettes. The pattern has been most prevalent amongst young people. These young men belong to special ethnic and racial groups in different nations across the world. However, there have been several reviews on usage of marijuana. One of them have been of the belief that young people starting on marijuana prior to tobacco or alcohol would be most likely to get addicted to cannabis. They may suffer several kinds of cannabis related problems in the later stages of their life.

It has been analyzed by various surveys conducted across the world that individuals aging between 12 to 21 years. People in the mentioned age group were asked about their usage of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other types of tobacco or illegal drugs. People using these substances provided more information about what they started using first and at what specific age. Researchers found about 8% of participants were reported to consume marijuana initially before using any kind of drug. However, the percentage has literally doubled during the past couple of years. There has been concurrent receding in people who started smoking cigarettes initially.

It has been observed that a wide majority of young men started consuming marijuana before actually starting any other drug. It has been the major reason for people abstaining or delaying usage of cigarettes. Several people have been found using marijuana initially, instead of cigarettes or alcohol. However, most of these people have been male, multiracial, American Indian, Black and Hispanic. It has been established that young men using marijuana initially were highly likely to get addicted to the drug in later stages of their life. Chances would be higher of people developing marijuana usage disorder.
It has been found that drug prevention techniques and strategies could be improved by targeting different groups abusing marijuana in a different manner. It should be based on their risk of starting tobacco, marijuana or alcohol initially. It would be pertinent to mention here that these people were less likely to gain access to treatment or successful treatment outcomes.

To a certain degree, these trends would continue and large numbers of young men begin consuming marijuana as their initial drug. It would initiate greater need for public treatment and interventions for treating various kinds of problems related to marijuana. It would not be wrong to suggest that despite the benefits offered by marijuana, there have been several risks associated with it.