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The impact of adolescent exposure to medical marijuana laws on high school completion, college enrollment and college degree completion
- Source :
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 168:320-327
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Background There is concern that medical marijuana laws (MMLs) could negatively affect adolescents. To better understand these policies, we assess how adolescent exposure to MMLs is related to educational attainment. Methods Data from the 2000 Census and 2001–2014 American Community Surveys were restricted to individuals who were of high school age (14–18) between 1990 and 2012 (n = 5,483,715). MML exposure was coded as: (i) a dichotomous “any MML” indicator, and (ii) number of years of high school age exposure. We used logistic regression to model whether MMLs affected: (a) completing high school by age 19; (b) beginning college, irrespective of completion; and (c) obtaining any degree after beginning college. A similar dataset based on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was also constructed for confirmatory analyses assessing marijuana use. Results MMLs were associated with a 0.40 percentage point increase in the probability of not earning a high school diploma or GED after completing the 12th grade (from 3.99% to 4.39%). High school MML exposure was also associated with a 1.84 and 0.85 percentage point increase in the probability of college non-enrollment and degree non-completion, respectively (from 31.12% to 32.96% and 45.30% to 46.15%, respectively). Years of MML exposure exhibited a consistent dose response relationship for all outcomes. MMLs were also associated with 0.85 percentage point increase in daily marijuana use among 12th graders (up from 1.26%). Conclusions Medical marijuana law exposure between age 14 to 18 likely has a delayed effect on use and education that persists over time.
- Subjects :
- Male
Marijuana Abuse
Adolescent
Universities
Poison control
Marijuana Smoking
Medical Marijuana
Toxicology
Logistic regression
Suicide prevention
Article
03 medical and health sciences
Risk-Taking
0302 clinical medicine
Surveys and Questionnaires
Injury prevention
Humans
Medicine
Pharmacology (medical)
030212 general & internal medicine
Probability
Pharmacology
Schools
business.industry
Human factors and ergonomics
Percentage point
Youth Risk Behavior Survey
United States
Educational attainment
Psychiatry and Mental health
Law
Educational Status
Female
business
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03768716
- Volume :
- 168
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Drug and Alcohol Dependence
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....d102dcc0e2357961d4107f508a06c339