Legalization of Recreational Marijuana: Assessing Risk in Child Welfare

Background: Colorado has embarked on what some consider a novel social experiment by legalizing adult marijuana consumption (LAMC). One argument frequently offered against this policy is the possible harm it will cause to children. However, little is actually known about the effects of LAMC on children in Colorado. Child welfare caseworkers (CWC) are uniquely positioned to speak to the impact of LAMC on vulnerable children. This study piloted the Caseworker Perceptions of Legal Marijuana and Child Welfare scale (CPLMCW) which assess CWC perceptions of the impact of LAMC on various aspects of child welfare such as child safety, neglect, abuse, and permanency.

Methods: A five-point Likert scale was developed to capture CWCs perceptions of how the legalization of recreational marijuana has impacted child welfare. Researchers sought to capture the construct Impact on Child Welfare consisting of two dimensions; Risk of Maltreatment and System Impact.

A pool of items for each dimension was created. The items (n=44) for the Risk of Maltreatment dimension were developed after reviewing four current risk instruments used by child welfare agencies. The items for System Impact (n=17) were created from the scale developers’ prior experience working in child welfare. Child welfare experts reviewed the items and cognitive interviews were held to check the validity of the scale. The process resulted in 37 items for Risk of Maltreatment and 16 for System Impact.

Finally, a pilot study was conducted. A link to an online version of the scale was posted in a social media group for social workers site and emailed to child welfare caseworkers. The pilot study included 35 respondents.  An item analysis was conducted to determine inter-item correlation and the scale reliability.  

Results: The Cronbach’s alpha for all items was 0.98, which is well above the recommended value of 0.70. Six items were identified to be removed because they had relatively low inter-item correlations (<0.50) and this resulted in 47 items total.

 

Implications: As more states legalize the use of recreational marijuana, it is important to understand how this legislation impacts the child welfare system. CWCs are at the forefront of assessing circumstances related directly to issues regarding permanency, safety, abuse, and neglect. This study utilized responses from caseworkers in developing a scale in order to more fully understand how the legalization of recreational marijuana impacts the child welfare system.  The pilot scale resulted in 47 items and is comprised of two subscales. Although further research is needed in validating the CPLMCW, this pilot study suggests that the scale will likely offer accurate assessment of CWC perceptions regarding the impact of LAMC on the child welfare system. The information gleaned from future use of the CPLMCW may be useful in informing future marijuana policy.  Also the CPLMCW may provide guidance as to how CWC can best support vulnerable populations positioned within child welfare systems in states with or considering LAMC.