The effect of marijuana use in adolescence on college and graduate degree attainment

Abstract

We estimate the long-term effect of using marijuana in adolescence on college and graduate degree attainment measured approximately 20 years later. We rely on the first two waves (1994–1996) and the fifth wave (2016–2018) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and estimate instrumental variables models that exploit the network structure at the second degree by using marijuana use status of friends of friends who are not themselves friends of the respondent in order to instrument for the respondent’s marijuana use. Our models also include school and grade fixed effects. Marijuana use in adolescence leads to a large reduction in the likelihood of college and graduate degree attainment by the time respondents are aged 33–43 years old.