Marijuana experiences, voting behaviors, and early perspectives regarding marijuana legalization among college students from 2 states

ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to understand college students' (1) views and experiences regarding marijuana, (2) voting behaviors, and (3) early perceptions of the impact of legislation. Participants: College students from Washington and Wisconsin were interviewed between May and September 2013. Methods: Participants completed phone interviews assessing marijuana attitudes, intentions, behaviors, voting behaviors or intentions, and perceptions of the impact of legislation. Results: A total of 283 participants completed the interview (83.7% retention rate): 56.8% were female, 57.2% were from Wisconsin, and 74.6% were Caucasian. Almost half of Washington participants (46.3%) indicated that they voted for marijuana legalization. Participants most commonly responded that the legislation did not change their attitudes towards marijuana, although some participants discussed perceived safety of the product because legislation passed. Conclusions: Findings indicate similarities in views and experiences among college students from states affected and unaffected by legalization; legalization may increase perceptions of safety.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescent health
• college student
• marijuana
• mixed methods

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Seattle Children's Research Institute Institutional Review Board.

Funding

This study was funded by support from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (7R01DA031580-04).