Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
961507 Journal of Health Economics 2012 10 Pages PDF
Abstract
This paper exploits the discontinuity created by the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years to estimate the causal effect of increased alcohol availability on marijuana use. We find that consumption of marijuana decreases sharply at age 21, while consumption of alcohol increases, suggesting that marijuana and alcohol are substitutes. We further find that the substitution effect between alcohol and marijuana is stronger for women than for men. Our results suggest that policies designed to limit alcohol use have the unintended consequence of increasing marijuana use.
Related Topics
Health Sciences Medicine and Dentistry Public Health and Health Policy
Authors
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