Committee Chair

Garland, Tammy S.

Committee Member

Crittenden, Courtney A.; Policastro, Christina

Department

Dept. of Criminal Justice and Legal Assistant Studies

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Studies have indicated that attitudes toward marijuana use and policy have become less punitive throughout recent years, and the support for marijuana legalization has increased significantly (Green, Doherty, & Ensminger, 2017; Resko et al., 2019). As attitudinal research has been found to affect policy, the current study focused on perceptions toward marijuana use and policy among university faculty and staff to determine whether demographic, experiential, and behavioral variables were significant in their association with marijuana attitudes (Lane, 1997). Findings indicate that age, attendance of religious services, frequency of alcohol consumption, and prior drug use had statistically significant relationships with the two attitudinal scales: alternative marijuana attitudes toward policy and attitudes concerning the dangerousness of marijuana. Further research is recommended to expand on studies focusing on attitudes of faculty and staff, as well as to account for possible differences in attitudes due to varying legalization laws among states.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the professors of the Department of Criminal Justice for their encouragement and assistance in completing this thesis. Particularly, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Courtney Crittenden and Dr. Christina Policastro for providing their time and feedback these past two semesters. Moreover, the guidance they have given me this year has not only helped to complete this paper, but they have also helped me while preparing for a professional life after graduation. I would also like to emphasize my gratitude for Dr. Tammy Garland. Beginning shortly after I switched my major to Criminal Justice during my sophomore year as an undergraduate at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she has given me endless support. Since then, she has always believed in my capabilities, and she has pushed me to focus on my assignments and goals more than I had before. Throughout the process of writing this thesis, she has volunteered her time and experience to help me succeed. Without her encouragement, I would not have chosen to write a thesis, nor do I believe I would have felt able to complete it. I cannot thank the Department of Criminal Justice faculty enough for their constant support.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

5-2021

Subject

Drug legalization; Marijuana; Universities and colleges--Employees--Attitudes

Keyword

faculty and staff attitudes; marijuana legalization; marijuana policy

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

ix, 52 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Date Available

5-31-2022

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