Working Paper: NBER ID: w9963
Authors: Rosalie Liccardo Pacula; Jeanne Ringel; Karen E. Ross
Abstract: In this paper we examine the relationship between marijuana use and human capital formation by examining performance on standardized tests among a nationally representative sample of youths from the National Education Longitudinal Survey. We find that much of the negative association between cross-sectional measures of marijuana use and cognitive ability appears to be attenuated by individual differences in school attachment and general deviance. However, difference-in-difference estimates examining changes in test scores across 10th and 12th grade reveal that marijuana use remains statistically associated with a 15% reduction in performance on standardized math tests.
Keywords: Marijuana; Human Capital; Cognitive Ability; Education; Standardized Tests
JEL Codes: I12; I20
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Marijuana use (I12) | Cognitive impairment (D91) |
| Marijuana use (I12) | Standardized test performance (D29) |
| Standardized test performance (D29) | Cognitive ability (G53) |
| Marijuana use (I12) | Academic achievement (I23) |
| Confounders (C39) | Marijuana use (I12) |
| Confounders (C39) | Cognitive impairment (D91) |