London, Jun 24 (IANS): Religiosity makes teens half as likely to use marijuana, says a study.

"Some may think this is an obvious finding, but research and expert opinion on this issue have not been consistent," said study co-author Stephen Bahr, sociology professor of Brigham Young University (BYU).

"We accounted for family and peer characteristics, and regardless of denomination, there was an independent effect that those who were religious were less likely to do drugs, even when their friends were users," added Bahr.

Another study co-author John Hoffmann found that individual religiosity buffered peer pressure for cigarette smoking and heavy drinking.

The term religiosity used here has to do with people's participation in a religion and not any particular denomination. Hoffmann said the protective effect of church and spirituality supplements the influence of parents.

"Parents shouldn’t force it, but they can encourage spirituality and religion in their families, which in itself becomes a positive influence in their children’s lives," Hoffmann said.

Individual religiosity was measured by two questions: one asked the students how frequently they attended church and the other asked the students to rate the importance of religion to them.

"The power of peers is less among youths who are religious. Meaning if you are religious, the pressure from peers to use drugs will not have much effect," Bahr said.

However, researchers found that religiosity didn’t have the same effect on use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin, said a university release.

These findings are slated for publication in the Oct 13 edition of the Journal of Drug Issues.