Parents describe how their children's cannabis use triggered severe mental health crises
In interviews with 13 parents, most described their children's cannabis use either worsening or appearing to trigger severe mental health crises, while healthcare providers frequently minimized cannabis-related risks.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Parents reported four themes: cannabis use worsened or triggered mental health crises; it created emotional and financial burdens on families; healthcare providers often minimized cannabis risks during treatment; and parents called for better public health warnings and regulatory oversight.
Key Numbers
13 parents interviewed. Four themes identified. Parents described encounters with healthcare providers who minimized cannabis-related risks.
How They Did This
Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 13 parents who reported their children used cannabis and experienced mental health issues. Deductive-inductive thematic analysis used to generate themes.
Why This Research Matters
Parents are often the first to observe cannabis-related mental health deterioration in their children, yet they report encountering healthcare providers who dismiss the connection. Their perspectives highlight gaps in clinical training and public health messaging.
The Bigger Picture
As cannabis potency increases and normalization accelerates, parent experiences provide a ground-level view of how high-potency cannabis is affecting young people's mental health. The gap between parental observations and clinician responses suggests a training deficit.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small purposive sample (13 parents) likely skewed toward those with the most severe experiences. No objective verification of cannabis use or mental health diagnoses. Parent perspectives may not capture the full clinical picture.
Questions This Raises
- ?How can clinician training better incorporate cannabis-related mental health risks?
- ?What public health messaging strategies would be most effective for families?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- parents frequently reported healthcare providers minimized cannabis-related mental health risks during treatment
- Evidence Grade:
- Small qualitative study providing rich descriptive data but limited generalizability. Purposive sampling likely captured more severe cases.
- Study Age:
- 2025 publication.
- Original Title:
- Parent Perspectives on Youth Cannabis Use and Mental Health: Impacts, Challenges, and Recommendations.
- Published In:
- The journal of behavioral health services & research, 52(2), 249-262 (2025)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06527
Evidence Hierarchy
Uses interviews or focus groups to understand experiences in depth.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis cause psychosis in young people?
The study captures parent observations, not clinical proof of causation. However, research elsewhere has established that cannabis use, particularly high-potency products, is associated with increased psychosis risk in adolescents and young adults, especially those with genetic vulnerability.
Why did healthcare providers minimize cannabis risks?
Parents reported that clinicians often did not consider cannabis use as relevant to their children's mental health crises. This may reflect outdated training, cultural normalization of cannabis, or a focus on other clinical priorities.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06527APA
Gerhardt, T Freeman; Carlson, Melissa; Menendez, Kimberly; Moore, Kathleen A; Rodill, Zena. (2025). Parent Perspectives on Youth Cannabis Use and Mental Health: Impacts, Challenges, and Recommendations.. The journal of behavioral health services & research, 52(2), 249-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-025-09932-8
MLA
Gerhardt, T Freeman, et al. "Parent Perspectives on Youth Cannabis Use and Mental Health: Impacts, Challenges, and Recommendations.." The journal of behavioral health services & research, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-025-09932-8
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Parent Perspectives on Youth Cannabis Use and Mental Health:..." RTHC-06527. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/gerhardt-2025-parent-perspectives-on-youth
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.