College Marijuana Use Linked With Skipped Classes, Lower Grades, Late Graduation
A new study entitled “The academic consequences of marijuana use during college” finds marijuana use in the first year of college can lead to students missing classes. The more frequently a student uses marijuana, the more they tend to skip class, earn lower grades, and graduate later.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public Health followed 1,117 college students for eight years to test the direct and indirect effects on marijuana use on GPA and time to graduation.
The findings are part of a larger study, called the College Life Study, which began in 2003.
Alcohol and other drug use are also related to skipping class, but when we adjusted for other substance use we still found a relationship between marijuana and skipping class,” said lead researcher Amelia Arria, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
The findings are published in the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
The relationship between marijuana use and academic problems might be explained by decreases in a student’s motivation to pursue academic goals, or problems absorbing material that is presented during class.
