Recreational marijuana legalization and college student use: Early evidence

Recreational marijuana legalization and college student use: Early evidence☆

We analyze marijuana use by college undergraduates before and after legalization of recreational marijuana. Using survey data from the National College Health Assessment, we show that students at Washington State University experienced a significant increase in marijuana use after legalization. This increase is larger than would be predicted by national trends. The change is strongest among fem...

Has Marijuana Legalization Increased Marijuana Use Among US Youth?

Since 2012, citizens in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washingtonhave voted to legalize the recreational use ofmarijuana by adults. Advocates of legalization have argued that prohibition wastes scarce law enforcement resourcesbyselectivelyarrestingminorityusers of a drug that has fewer adverse health effects than alcohol.1,2 It would be better, theyargue, to legalize, regulate,andtaxmarijuana, l...

The Legalization of Marijuana

The movement to legalize marijuana is a war being waged at the ballot box of many states. The movement is sponsored by a small group attempting to dictate changes in laws surrounding the use, as well as the cultivation and distribution of marijuana. Organizations such as NORML (National Organization for Reformed Marijuana Laws); The Lindesmith Center; and, the Drug Policy Group are pushing the ...

Comparing injunctive marijuana use norms of salient reference groups among college student marijuana users and nonusers.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among college students and has the potential for various negative outcomes. Perceptions of what constitutes typical approval/acceptability of a reference group (i.e. injunctive social norms) have been shown to have strong utility as predictors of health-risk behaviors in the college context, yet this construct remains significantly understudied f...

A Perspective on Marijuana Legalization