Parental Segregation, Marijuana Legalization, and Concerns over the Mobility of Children

• In Event: 2450 - Social In-Justice: Controlling Pregnant Women and Mothers who Use Drugs

Abstract

From 2000 to 2012, recreational marijuana legalization hit the ballot in several states, ultimately passing in just two. In this article, I examine the sources of variation in support for marijuana legalization and show that support is strong in communities characterized by the absence and segregation of residents with children. I argue that the segregation of parents from nonparents results in perceptions of marijuana as non-threatening to children’s economic mobility. The analysis also shows that the effects of parental segregation are particularly strong in communities with high prospects for economic mobility, as signified by low income inequality and high occupational differentiation.

Author

• Burrel James Vann, University of California, Irvine