Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP3116
Authors: Jan C. van Ours
Abstract: This Paper uses a unique dataset collected among inhabitants of Amsterdam, to study the dynamics in the consumption of cannabis and cocaine. If people start using these drugs they are most likely to do so at age 18-20 for cannabis and age 20-25 for cocaine. An analysis of the starting rates shows some evidence of cannabis being a ?stepping stone? for cocaine. The fact that some individuals use both cannabis and cocaine has, however, to do mostly with (unobserved) personal characteristics and not with the use of cannabis causing the use of cocaine.
Keywords: Consumer behaviour; Drugs
JEL Codes: C41; D12; I19
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| unobserved personal characteristics (C29) | cannabis use (I12) |
| unobserved personal characteristics (C29) | cocaine use (I12) |
| cannabis use (I12) | likelihood of cocaine use (I12) |
| cannabis use (I12) | exposure to suppliers (L14) |
| cannabis use (I12) | acceptance probability of cocaine use (C25) |
| cannabis use (I12) | cocaine use (I12) |