"High"-School: The Relationship between Early Marijuana Use and Educational Outcomes

Deborah Cobb-Clark, Sonja C. Kassenboehmer, Trinh Le, Duncan McVicar and Rong Zhang
Additional contact information
Sonja C. Kassenboehmer: Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne; and Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
Rong Zhang: Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Sonja Cornelia de New

Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series from Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne

Abstract: We use unique survey data linked to nearly a decade of administrative welfare data to examine the relationship between early marijuana use (at age 14 or younger) and young people’s educational outcomes. We find evidence that early marijuana use is related to educational penalties that are compounded by high-intensity use and are larger for young people living in families with a history of welfare receipt. The relationships between marijuana use and both high school completion and achieving a university entrance score appear to stem from selectivity into the use of marijuana. In contrast, early marijuana use is associated with significantly lower university entrance score for those who obtain one and we provide evidence that this effect is unlikely to be driven by selection. Collectively, these findings point to a more nuanced view of the relationship between adolescent marijuana use and educational outcomes than is suggested by the existing literature.

Keywords: Marijuana; cannabis; educational achievement; educational attainment; socio-economic disadvantage; welfare receipt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I18 I20 I24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41pp
Date: 2013-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-hea and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/downloads ... series/wp2013n38.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: ‘High’-School: The Relationship between Early Marijuana Use and Educational Outcomes (2015)
Working Paper: "High"-School: The Relationship between Early Marijuana Use and Educational Outcomes (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2013n38

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