Marijuana use among college students and attitudes towards legalization

Abstract

Marijuana use is a prevalent behavior among college students. As marijuana is legalized in some US states, student attitudes towards marijuana use may be changing towards use and legalization. The purpose of the present study is to examine the extent of marijuana use among college students and investigate student attitudes towards use legalization. A questionnaire was developed by the research team to measure study aims. Students completed the questionnaire in classrooms. A total of 291 students completed the survey. Results indicated that greater than half (55.7%) smoked marijuana in their lifetime. Almost half (42.1%) of students agreed or strongly agreed that marijuana should be legal. Differences in attitudes toward use and legalization were found based on lifetime marijuana use. Based on study find-ings, a high percentage of students used marijuana. College health professionals may benefit from study findings as results can be used in prevention and intervention efforts.