The minimum legal drinking age and marijuana use: New estimates from the NLSY97 Articles uri icon

publication date

  • January 2013

start page

  • 474

end page

  • 476

issue

  • 2

volume

  • 32

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0167-6296

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1879-1646

abstract

  • In volume 30, issue 4 of this journal Bari¿ Yörük and Ceren Yörük (Y&EY) used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, 1997 (NLSY97) and a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effect of the minimum legal drinking age on a variety of substances including marijuana. They obtained evidence that the probability of marijuana use increased sharply at the age of 21, consistent with the hypothesis that alcohol and marijuana are complements, but inadvertently conditioned on having used marijuana at least once since the last survey. Applying the Y&EY research design to all NLSY97 respondents ages 19 through 22, we find no evidence that alcohol and marijuana are complements. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

keywords

  • alcohol marijuana minimum legal drinking age regression discontinuity alcohol cannabis adult age alcohol consumption cannabis smoking controlled study human interview legal aspect longitudinal study minimum legal drinking age note alcohol drinking female humans male marijuana abuse smoking baris cannabis sativa