Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use

D. Mark Anderson (), Benjamin Hansen and Daniel Rees
Additional contact information
D. Mark Anderson: Montana State University

No 6592, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

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: youth risky behavior; medical marijuana laws; marijuana (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D8 I1 K4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 49 pages
Date: 2012-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-law
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)

Published - published in: American Law and Economics Review, 2015,17 (2), 495-528

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Related works:
Journal Article: Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use (2015)
Working Paper: Medical Marijuana Laws and Teen Marijuana Use (2014)
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