The Effects of Opportunity and Deterrence on Adolescent Marijuana use During a Period of Changing Legal Status

Abstract

Marijuana policy is changing rapidly in the United States, with medicinal and recreational marijuana increasingly becoming legalized. While marijuana is still illegal for adolescent use, there are concerns that legalization for adults may increase opportunities, and changing attitudes may reduce formal and informal sanctions. This study used four years of cross-sectional data from the Arizona Youth Survey, which is a school-based sample of Arizona youth. The research questions examined opportunity, deterrence, and adolescent marijuana use during a period of changing legal status. Opportunity was a salient predictor for marijuana use in each year examined. While informal sanctions in the form of parental disapproval was a strong predictor of marijuana use, formal sanctions and informal sanctions focused on public perceptions were less important. These findings suggest programming aimed at reducing adolescent marijuana use should focus on reducing opportunities and involve parents.