NCJ Number
190813
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 36 Issue: 8 Dated: 2001 Pages: 997-1014
Date Published
2001
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study used data from a nationally representative longitudinal sample to examine the relationship of marijuana use by high school seniors to occupational attainment 10 years later.
Abstract
Data were obtained from the Monitoring the Future project, an ongoing study being conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. The study has involved nationally representative cross-sectional in-school surveys of high school seniors each year since 1975 (n=16,000-18,000 per year). Representative subsamples of 2,400 target respondents have been selected from each class cohort since 1976 to comprise follow-up panels. These panels each receive seven follow-up surveys at 2-year intervals, with a random split-half receiving questionnaires on odd-numbered years and the other split-half receiving questionnaires on even-numbered years. Occupational attainment was assessed by a single item that asked participants at age 27 or 28 to indicate the job category in which they were currently employed. Marijuana use was coded into five categories based on frequency and time frame. Control variables were related to gender, educational aspirations, occupational aspirations, and grade point average. The study found that for males the relationship between marijuana use and occupational attainment can be described by a threshold model which posited that "no" or "light" marijuana use did not predict level of occupational attainment; however, if a certain threshold level of use was passed, increasing marijuana use predicted linearly to decreasing success in occupational attainment. For the current study, the linear relationship started with 3 to 39 occasions of marijuana use within the last year while in high school. Findings regarding control variables suggests that marijuana use exerts its influence on occupational attainment by reducing school performance and lowering educational as well as occupational aspirations. For females, the bivariate relationship between marijuana use and occupational attainment did not show a simple pattern. Analyses found that marijuana use by females had negative implications for later vocational success, but the pattern was not as simple as for males. This may be due to the different meaning/implications of occupational attainment for males. 5 tables and 10 references