Parents' Marijuana-Related Attitudes, Use, and Parenting Behaviors, Part I: Results from the 2014 Survey of the Seattle Social Development Project

Introduction: Before Washington and Colorado passed legislation in 2012 to legalize the adult recreational use of marijuana, no North American government in modern times had established a legal marijuana market from production to adult use. Thus, there is little research from which to make confident predictions about the effects of marijuana legalization on those who are actively parenting. A number of studies link parenting practices like clear rules, monitoring, and consequences to youth substance use, and it is plausible that these practices could be affected by a drug’s legal status (Oesterle et al., 2012). Studies also show that parental substance use is strongly associated with use among their children, both for substance use in general and for marijuana specifically, so to the extent legalization increases use among parents, their children would be at increased risk for use (Merikangas et al., 1998). We will present findings from a survey of Washington state parents that assesses marijuana attitudes and use, as well as marijuana-specific parenting practices in the context of legalization.

Methods: Data are from the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), a longitudinal panel study originally drawn from Seattle, Washington, elementary schools. Data collection is currently underway for Wave 15; the sample is now aged 39 and is gender balanced and ethnically diverse. Of those interviewed, more than 350 are actively parenting and reside in Washington state. The current survey includes broad measurement of knowledge of the state’s marijuana laws; marijuana-related norms and perceived consequences of use for adults, parents and teens; parenting behaviors related to marijuana; personal marijuana use, problem use and marijuana use disorder; co-occurring use with other substances; and use in front of one’s children.

Results: Preliminary results indicate substantial misunderstanding of the new marijuana law among parents in Washington state. There is evidence of an increase in pro-marijuana norms for adults, though most parents are opposed to teen use and have told their children that underage use is not okay. Data also indicate an increase in both the prevalence and frequency of use among parents compared with data collected 4 years prior to legalization.

Conclusions: Overall, results suggest a relatively pro-marijuana environment among these parents with respect to adult use, though they remain largely opposed to teen use. Examining the generalizability of these findings with other samples is important. Some initial implications for prevention include promoting efforts to clarify facts about the law, and to provide parents with a better understanding of teen risks and strategies to address marijuana issues proactively with their children.