Date of Award
Spring 2024
Project Type
Dissertation
Program or Major
Education
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
First Advisor
Todd DeMitchell
Second Advisor
Todd Leach
Third Advisor
John Ted Kirkpatrick
Abstract
This dissertation is an exploratory study of how campus police officers perceive and respond to the changes in marijuana laws. It focuses on campus police departments in states that have passed marijuana laws that fit into one of three categories of laws: – the legalization of marijuana, a medical exception to the use of marijuana, and the decriminalization of marijuana for possession of small amounts. Because of its exploratory nature, this research focuses on campus police departments at each state’s flagship institutions that have passed legislation that fits into one of the three categories of laws. Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucrats forms the theoretical lens for this study. The study posits that campus police officers are street-level bureaucrats. It informs and guides the exploration of the officers’ perceptions and practices as a response to the liberalization of marijuana laws. This dissertation utilized a mixed-method methodology to address the focus question and its four subquestions. This study utilized a survey instrument with qualitative and quantitative questions. The survey consisted of Likert-scaled questions and open-ended short-answer questions. The open-ended short answer questions provide a contextualized understanding of how police officers decide to take enforcement action. I used grounded theory data coding techniques to uncover themes in the short answer questions.
Recommended Citation
Kulberg, Eric, "LEGALIZATION, MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS, AND DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA LAWS. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF CAMPUS POLICE OFFICERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND POLICING PRACTICES IN RESPONSE TO NEW MARIJUANA LAWS" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations. 2834.
https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2834