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(THE CONVERSATION) As more states legalize marijuana , researchers are examining the effects of legalization on society. Angus Kittelman, an assistant professor of special education at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Gulcan Cil, a senior statistician at Oregon Health & Science University, decided to look at the effects of cannabis dispensaries being located near schools. They discuss their research in the following Q&A with education editor Jamaal Abdul-Alim.
Is it bad when a school is located near a dispensary?
Yes, it’s not good for a couple of reasons. When cannabis dispensaries are near middle schools, students are more likely to receive office discipline referrals for substance use. When students get sent to the office, they lose valuable instructional time in the classroom.
Adolescent cannabis use is also associated with many negative health effects, such as poorer cognitive functioning and increased risks for developing mental health or substance use disorders . Students who use cannabis are also less likely to complete high school or go to college .
With the legalization of recreational cannabis sales in many U.S. states, there are more cannabis outlets and greater access , which can be concerning for families and schools. In our recent study, for example, we found that the number of office discipline referrals for substance use increased in middle schools after legalization of recreational cannabis in the state of Oregon in 2015 . But this increase was only when there were recreational outlets within a 1-mile radius of the schools.
Middle school students receiving an office discipline referral for substance use is relatively rare. An average middle school had three to four referrals of substance use per year. But those near an outlet experienced a 44% increase after legalization and had one to two additional referrals on average each year.
What’s causing the increase in referrals?
Great question. We analyzed student substance referrals after excluding referrals for tobacco and alcohol. We observed increases in substance referrals in Oregon schools after the statewide legalization of cannabis in 2015, compared with the […]
Here’s what happens when a school is located near a cannabis dispensary
