Fix It A Recent Study Indicated That People Are Becoming More Supportive

Essay

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A recent study indicated that people are becoming more supportive of recreational marijuana use. But Dr. Coutley believes that the marijuana produced today is more harmful than marijuana produced in the 1970s. He therefore decides to conduct a study to test his hypothesis. Since Dr. Coutley works for the DEA, he is able to obtain 10 samples of marijuana seized in 1972 and 10 samples of marijuana seized in 2013. To assess potency, Dr. Coutley analyzes the THC content of the marijuana samples. He also assesses the behavioral impact of each sample. Sixty individuals, half of whom are regular marijuana users, were randomly assigned to receive the 1972 marijuana or 2013 marijuana. The participants were told whether they were receiving the 1972 or 2013 drug prior to its administration so each person could make a final decision as to whether to continue their participation in the study. Only two of the 30 marijuana users withdrew from the study. Seven of the 30 nonmarijuana users withdrew from the study. All of the participants who withdrew were assigned to the 1972 drug condition. This resulted in a final sample of 51 participants. Fifteen minutes after receiving the drug the participants completed The Drug Effects Questionnaire, a self-report measure that assesses how "high" one feels. A t-test was used to compare THC content in the two samples. The results revealed that the 2013 marijuana was significantly more potent than the 1972 marijuana (t(9) = 5.32, p < .05). The behavioral effects of the two samples also indicated that the 2013 marijuana was more potent (t(50) = 4.82, p <.05). Dr. Coutley concludes that a linear relationship exists between the year of marijuana production and potency of marijuana. He uses this study to advocate for the nonlegalization of marijuana in his state.
Aside from potency, what other factors/biases may have influenced how high participants reported feeling? Do you agree with the analyses that Dr. Coutley performed? Fix it!