Two Missouri State University students presented their research at the 22nd Biennial Meeting for the Society of Brazilian Sociology at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, in July 2025.

Bruno Miranda Guerra and Sophia Dela Coleta presented, “Cannabis in Context: Attitudes and Consumption Patterns Among College Students in Missouri” at the conference.

Miranda Guerra is a recent graduate of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology (SAG). He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Applied Second Language Acquisition in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions. Dela Coleta is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Missouri State.

Sociology Associate Professors Dr. Herbert Rodrigues and Dr. Abby Templar Rodrigues accompanied Miranda Guerra and Dela Coleta to the conference and presented their own research.

Research evolved from HERC project

Miranda Guerra and Dela Coleta initially developed their project through the Health Equity Research Collective (HERC). HERC is led by Dr. Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, interim department head of SAG.

The pair said they were especially grateful to Sherman-Wilkins for his assistance. “Without his guidance and supervision, this project would have probably never happened,” Dela Coleta said.

Investigating cannabis harm

Initially, Miranda Guerra wanted to examine harmful impacts of cannabis on college students, according to Dela Coleta.

“Bruno was interested in researching harm reduction for cannabis use,” she explained. “Therefore, the legalization of cannabis in 2023 drew his attention to understanding whether this would have any impact on the interest, perception and consumption of university students.”

From there, the duo employed qualitative research methods such as personal interviews. Their results identified changed perceptions about marijuana use, particularly any negative stigma associated with it.

“Through interviews, we concluded that legalization is related to changes in perceptions about marijuana, mainly reducing the negative aspects that are usually associated with users,” Dela Coleta explained. “Furthermore, regarding consumption, we received a variety of responses, but some participants stated interest in trying cannabis, especially after legalization, as they don’t feel they are doing anything ‘bad’.”

Additionally, Dela Coleta and Miranda Guerra investigated perceptions regarding the illegal market and whether participants preferred to buy from dispensaries or dealers.

“Again, we received a variety of responses, with mainly international students — from countries where cannabis was not legal — saying they would not buy from illegal markets,” Dela Coleta said. “At the same time, other participants stated the price, feelings of safety and trust in their dealer [as] the factors why they often preferred to buy from the illegal market.”

Project contributes to professional development

Dela Coleta noted that this was the first major research project for her and Miranda Guerra. They both viewed the opportunity as an important turning point in their professional careers.

“Getting to interview students regarding their use and thoughts regarding cannabis was a major step in our careers as social researchers,” she said. “We both plan on continuing in academia, so this opportunity was really valuable in constructing our professional identities.”

The pair also enjoyed appearing at a professional conference, with the added bonus of presenting their research in their native Portuguese.

“What we both enjoyed the most was being able to present our project in our native country and reinforce our identity as Latinos,” Dela Coleta said. “We are both Brazilians studying in the U.S., so getting the chance to go back and share science with our community was priceless. We got a lot of useful feedback and ideas for future projects.”

Photo provided by Herbert Rodrigues.