Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use

45 Pages Posted: 28 May 2012 Last revised: 29 Oct 2013

See all articles by D. Mark Anderson

D. Mark Anderson

Montana State University - Bozeman

Benjamin Hansen

University of Oregon - Department of Economics; NBER; IZA

Daniel I. Rees

University of Colorado Denver; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: September 2012

Abstract

While at least a dozen state legislatures are considering bills to allow the consumption of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the federal government has recently intensified its efforts to close medical marijuana dispensaries. Federal officials contend that the legalization of medical marijuana encourages teenagers to use marijuana and have targeted dispensaries operating within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and playgrounds. Using data from the national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 and the Treatment Episode Data Set, we estimate the relationship between medical marijuana laws and marijuana use. Our results are not consistent with the hypothesis that legalization leads to increased use of marijuana by teenagers.

Keywords: Marijuana, Youth Risky Behavior, Medical Marijuana Laws

JEL Classification: K4, I1, D8

Suggested Citation

Anderson, D. Mark and Hansen, Benjamin and Rees, Daniel I., Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use (September 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2067431 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2067431

D. Mark Anderson

Montana State University - Bozeman ( email )

Bozeman, MT 59717-2920
United States

Benjamin Hansen (Contact Author)

University of Oregon - Department of Economics ( email )

1285 University of ORegon
Eugene, OR 97403
United States

NBER ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

IZA ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Daniel I. Rees

University of Colorado Denver ( email )

Campus Box 181
P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80218
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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