This study was designed to assess the affect of legalization of medical marijuana on drug-related attitudes and use among youths and young adults in selected communities in California and other states. Telephone survey data, collected as part of a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Fighting Back initiative, was utilized to examine reported attitudes about and use of drugs in California and other states before and after Californians passed Proposition 215 in 1996. Descriptive, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses were used to examine attitudes and use among 16 to 25 year olds in California and 10 other states. This study found that although some marijuana-related attitudes changed between 1995 and 1999, use did not increase. These findings suggest that recent policy changes have had little impact on marijuana-related behavior.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BachmanJ.G.JohnstonL.D.O'MalleyP.M.1998Explaining recent increases in students' marijuana use: Impacts of perceived risks and disapproval, 1976 through 1996. American Journal of Public Health,88 (6), 887–892
2.
BonnieR.J.WhitebreadC.H.1974The marihuana conviction: A history of marihuana prohibition in the United States.Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia
3.
BoufordJ.I.1997California Proposition 215 and Arizona Health Proposition 200 challenged. Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association,38 (5), 172
4.
ChaloupkaF.J.LaixuthaiA.1997Do youths substitute alcohol and marijuana? Some econometric evidence. Eastern Economic Journal,23 (3), 253–276
5.
Department of Health and Human Services2000Study released: Moderating trend among teen drug use continues.HHS News: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved September 15, 2004, from http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2000pres/20001214.html
6.
EaglyA.H.ChaikenS.1993Psychology of attitudes.Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, Inc
7.
EllicksonP.L.HaysR.D.1992On becoming involved with drugs: Modeling adolescent drug use over time. Health Psychology,11 (6), 337–385
8.
EllicksonP.L.HaysR.D.BellR.M.1992Stepping through the drug use sequence: Longitudinal scalogram analysis of initiation and regular use. Abnormal Psychology,101 (3), 441–451
9.
Gallup Poll2000Majority of Americans still oppose the idea of legalized marijuana: Americans see drugs as a serious problem nationally, but not in their local area. Retrieved January 2001 from http://www.gallup.com/subscription/?m=f&c_id=9939
10.
Gledhill-HoytJ.LeeH.StroteJ.WechslerH.2000Increased use of marijuana and other illicit drugs at U.S. colleges in the 1990s: Results of three national surveys. Addiction,95 (11), 1655–1667
11.
GolubA.JohnsonA.2001aVariation in youthful risks of progression from alcohol and tobacco to marijuana and to hard drugs across generations. American Journal of Public Health,91 (2), 225–232
12.
GolubA.JohnsonA.2001bRise in Marijuana as the Drug of Choice Among Youthful Adult Arrestees. Research in Brief.National Institute of Justice, June 2001 www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/187490.pdf
13.
GolubA.JohnsonB.D.1994The shifting importance of alcohol and marijuana as gateway substances among serious drug abusers. Journal of Studies in Alcohol,55 (5), 607–614
14.
Institute of Medicine1999Marijuana and medicine: Assessing the science base.Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press
15.
JoinTogether1998Police raid, close California marijuana club. Retrieved September 15, 2004, from www.jointogether.org
16.
JoinTogether2003Justice Department Ups Medical Marijuana Rhetoric. 2003: Retrieved September 15, 2004, from www.jointogether.org
17.
JoyJ.E.WatsonS.J.Jr.BensonJ.A. (Eds). 1999Marijuana and medicine: Assessing the science base. Institute of Medicine. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press
18.
KandelD.AndrewsK.1987Processes of adolescent socialization by parents and peers. The International Journal of the Addictions,22 (4), 319–342
19.
KandelD.B.1985On processes of peer influence in adolescent drug use: A Developmental perspective. Adv Alcohol and Substance Abuse, 4(3/4), 139–163
20.
LivertD.ButeauE.TrudeauK.KadushinC.SaxeL.BeveridgeA.2000Getting the right numbers: Observations from an ongoing telephone survey of drug use. Unpublished manuscript, presented at the American Association of Public Opinion Researchers meeting; Portland OR, 2000
21.
McAuliffeW.E.GellerS.LaBrieR.PaletzS.FournierE.1998Are telephone surveys suitable for studying substance abuse? Cost, administration, coverage and response rate issues. Journal of Drug Issues,28 (2), 455–482
22.
ModelK.E.1993The effect of marijuana decriminalization on hospital emergency room drug episodes. Journal of the American Statistical Association,88 (423), 737–747
23.
Office of Applied Studies1998National Household Survey on Drug Abuse population estimates: 1997.Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies
24.
Office of Applied Studies1999Summary of findings from the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies
25.
Office of Applied Studies2000Summary of findings from the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies
26.
Office of Applied Studies2001Beliefs among youths about risks from illicit drug use.Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. September 14, 2001. Retrieved September 15, 2004, from http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k2/beliefs/beliefs.htm
27.
Office of Applied Studies2002Marijuana use among youths.Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. Retrieved September 15, 2004, from http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k2/YouthMJuse/YouthMJuse.htm
SaxeL.ReberE.HallforsD.KadushinC.JonesD.RindskopfD.1997Think globally, act locally: Assessing the impact of community-based substance abuse prevention. Evaluation and Program Planning,20 (3), 357–366
SingleE.W.1989The impact of marijuana decriminalization: An update. Journal of Public Health Policy, Winter1989, 456–466
32.
SingleE.ChristieP.AliR.2000The impact of marijuana decriminalization in Australia and the United States. Journal of Public Health Policy,21 (2), 157–186
33.
WerchC.E.AnzaloneD.1995Stage theory and research on tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. Journal of Drug Educucation,25 (2), 81–98
34.
YamaguchiK.KandelD.1984Patterns of drug use from adolescence to young adulthood: III. Predictors of progression. American Journal of Public Health,74 (7), 673–681
35.
YuJ.1992The age of alcohol onset and alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use patterns: An Analysis of drug use progression of young adults in New York State. The International Journal of the Addictions,27 (11), 1313–1323
