The social characteristic that correlates most strongly with the use of marijuana is:

• A. sex or gender
• B. age
• C. socioeconomic status (SES)
• D. race

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how social characteristics relate to marijuana use, and which one shows the strongest link. Marijuana use is most strongly tied to age because usage patterns peak in adolescence and young adulthood. In these life stages, there’s more experimentation, peer influence, and social environments that encourage trying substances, so the prevalence is higher among younger groups and tends to decline with age as responsibilities and routines change.

Sex or gender differences do exist—men often report higher use than women—but these differences are typically smaller than the age differences. Race and socioeconomic status can influence use through broader social and environmental factors, access, and norms, but they don’t predict use as consistently or as strongly across populations as age does.

So, age is the best answer because it captures the developmental and social exposure factors that most strongly align with marijuana use, more than sex, race, or SES.