ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2016
Marijuana use trajectories and academic outcomes among college students.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 73 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
73 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 163 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of the effectiveness of digital interventions for illicit substance misuse harm reduction in third-level students.BMC public health · 2019Pooled it
- A pilot trial of a brief intervention for cannabis use supplemented with a substance-free activity session or relaxation training.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2024Trial
- A pilot trial of text-delivered peer network counseling to treat young adults with cannabis use disorder.Journal of substance abuse treatment · 2018Trial
- Exploring Associations Between Substance Use, Self-Regulated Learning Practices, and Academic Challenges at Five Canadian Universities.Journal of college student retention : research, theory & practice · 2026Article
- Operationalizing ASSIST-based indicators to estimate the prevalence and correlates of problematic cannabis involvement among U.S. college students.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Article
- [Profile of Galician student cannabis users].Atencion primaria · 2026Article
- Exploration of Cannabis Use with Excessive Social Media Use Among U.S. College Students.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Multi-Modal Cannabis Use Among U.S. Young Adults: Findings from the 2022 and 2023 BRFSS in 23 States.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Feasibility and utility of a structured guide for cannabis tolerance breaks in young adults.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2025Article
- What Are Tolerance Breaks and Why Do Young Adults Take Them? A Qualitative Investigation of Temporary Abstinence Breaks from Cannabis.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2025Article
- Academic Performance, Health and Support Needs: Comparing Foster Care Alumni and Peers in Higher Education in Norway.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- In harm's way: Do college students' beliefs about cannabis put them at risk for use?Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2024Article
- Order of Cannabis and Alcohol Use on Pregaming and Non-Pregaming Days Among College Students.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2024Article
- A Scoping Review of Interventions for U.S. College Students' Harmful Cannabis Use and a Call for a College Cannabis Intervention Matrix.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2024Article
- Cannabis use among adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2024Review
- Association between Current Substance Use, Healthy Behaviors, and Depression among Ukrainian College Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- General and Domain-Specific Perceived Risk Demonstrate Unique Associations with Cannabis Use, Negative Outcomes, and Motivation to Change among Undergraduate Students.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2024Article
- Chronic Pain and Cannabis Use Frequency, Intensity, and Severity in Young Adults.Substance use & misuse · 2024Article
- Alcohol and cannabis co-use: Receptiveness to treatments and application to intervention planning.Journal of student affairs research and practice · 2024Article
- Cannabis Use and Academic Performance in College Students: The Role of Procrastination.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2024Article
13 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMarijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug by college students. Prior studies have established an association between marijuana use and poor academic performance in college, but research on the frequency of marijuana use over the entire college career is limited. The study objective was to examine the association of marijuana use trajectories on academic outcomes, including senior year enrollment, plans to graduate on time, and GPA.
methodsData were collected from a cohort of 3146 students from 11 colleges in North Carolina and Virginia at six time points across the college career. Group-based trajectory models were used to characterize longitudinal marijuana use patterns during college. Associations between marijuana trajectory groups and academic outcomes were modeled using random-effects linear and logistic regressions.
resultsFive marijuana trajectory groups were identified: non-users (69.0%), infrequent users (16.6%), decreasing users (4.7%), increasing users (5.8%), and frequent users (3.9%). Decreasing users and frequent users were more likely to drop out of college and plan to delay graduation when compared to non-users. All marijuana user groups reported lower GPAs, on average, than non-users.
conclusionThese results identify marijuana use patterns that put students at risk for poor academic performance in college. Students who use marijuana frequently at the beginning of the college career are especially at risk for lower academic achievement than non-users, suggesting that early intervention is critical.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.