Development and validation of a Scale of Attitudes towards the Consumption and Legalization of Marijuana in the Mexican population

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to analyze the validity and reliability of the Scale of Attitudes towards the Consumption and Legalization of Marijuana (EACLM). The study was carried out with an incidental sample of 452 Mexicans aged between 18 and 45 years old. After analysis of the content validity by expert judges, exploratory (maximum likelihood) and confirmatory factor analyses (maximum likelihood with robust errors) were conducted to ensure the scale's construct validity; in addition, internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The final version of the instrument contains 16 items grouped into three oblique factors: Medical use and legalization, Recreational use and Recreational legalization. The use of the scale is recommended to explore the attitudes of different social groups on the subject and add to national discussion on the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis in Mexico.