Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP6449
Authors: Jan C. van Ours; Jenny Williams
Abstract: In this paper we use individual level data from the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey to study the relationship between initiation into cannabis use and educational attainment. Using instrumental variable estimation and bivariate duration analysis we find that those initiating into cannabis use early in life are much more likely to dropout of school compared to those who start later on. Moreover, we find that the reduction in years of schooling depends on the age at which initiation occurs, and that it is larger for females than males.
Keywords: age of initiation; cannabis use; educational attainment
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 characteristics (D80) | early cannabis initiation (Y20) |
| unobserved characteristics (D80) | educational attainment (I21) |
| early initiation into cannabis use (I12) | reduction in educational attainment (I24) |
| initiating cannabis use at a younger age (J13) | higher likelihood of school dropout (I21) |
| early cannabis initiation (Y20) | greater decrease in educational attainment for females (I24) |