Although gender differences in alcohol use in adolescence are typically modest (Hicks et al., 2007; Johnston et al., 2008; Young et al., 2002), adult studies consistently show higher levels of alcohol consumption and a greater prevalence of alcohol use disorders amongmen(Prescott, 2001, 2003; SAMHSA, 2008; Sher et al., 2005). However, recent reports show that the gender gap in drinking behavior has narrowed in recent decades (Holdcraft and Iacono, 2002; Keyes et al., 2008; Rice et al., 2003), whichmay be attributed, in part, to changes in cultural attitudes toward drinking (Holmila and Raitasalo, 2005). Based on large epidemiologic surveys such as the Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF; Johnston et al., 2008), we would expect only modest gender differences in cigarette and marijuana smoking in adolescence. Their data on young adults show that while rates of marijuana use are higher among males in this age range, gender differences in rates of cigarette smoking remain small. Although these cross-sectional data do not address developmental issues, they are consistent with one of the few longitudinal studies of substance use in adolescence and young adulthood,
