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Distance to Cannabis Shops and Age of Onset of Cannabis Use
Author(s) -
Palali Ali,
Ours Jan C.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.3104
Subject(s) - cannabis , medicine , demography , psychology , psychiatry , sociology
Summary In the Netherlands, cannabis use is quasi‐legalized. Small quantities of cannabis can be bought in cannabis shops. We investigate how the distance to the nearest cannabis shop affects the age of onset of cannabis use. We use a mixed proportional hazard rate framework to take account of observable as well as unobservable characteristics that influence the uptake of cannabis. We find that distance matters. Individuals who grow up within 20km of a cannabis shop have a lower age of onset. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.