Cannabis use among parents with children at home rose from 4.9% to 6.8% between 2002 and 2015
A nationally representative US survey found that past-month cannabis use among parents with children at home increased from 4.9% to 6.8% from 2002 to 2015, with the increase concentrated among cigarette-smoking parents (11% to 17.4%).
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Researchers analyzed nationally representative data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to track cannabis and cigarette use trends among parents with children at home from 2002 to 2015.
Past-month cannabis use among parents increased from 4.9% in 2002 to 6.8% in 2015, while cigarette smoking declined from 27.6% to 20.2%.
The increase in cannabis use was most pronounced among cigarette-smoking parents, rising from 11.0% to 17.4%. Among non-smoking parents, cannabis use also increased but remained lower (2.4% to 4.0%).
Cannabis use was nearly 4 times more common among cigarette smokers versus non-smokers (17.4% vs. 4.0%), and daily cannabis use showed a similar disparity (4.6% vs. 0.8%).
The overall percentage of parents using either cigarettes or cannabis or both decreased from 29.7% to 23.5%, as the decline in smoking outpaced the increase in cannabis use.
Key Numbers
Cannabis use among parents: 4.9% (2002) to 6.8% (2015). Among smoking parents: 11.0% to 17.4%. Among non-smoking parents: 2.4% to 4.0%. Cannabis 4x more common in smokers vs. non-smokers (OR 3.88). Combined cigarette/cannabis parent use: 29.7% to 23.5%.
How They Did This
Analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual nationally representative cross-sectional study. Logistic regression estimated associations between cigarette smoking and cannabis use among parents with children at home from 2002 to 2015.
Why This Research Matters
Children's exposure to secondhand smoke in the home has been a major public health focus. As cigarette smoking declines but cannabis use rises among parents, public health messaging about secondhand exposure needs to expand to include cannabis smoke.
The Bigger Picture
The diverging trends (smoking down, cannabis up) among parents suggest a partial substitution effect, though the overall decline in combined use indicates a net improvement. However, the concentration of cannabis use increase among cigarette-smoking parents means the highest-risk households for secondhand exposure are getting more exposure, not less.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-reported data may underestimate substance use. Cross-sectional annual surveys cannot track individual parents over time. Cannabis use was measured as any past-month use, not specifically use in the home or around children. Legalization status was not directly analyzed as a predictor.
Questions This Raises
- ?Is the rise in parental cannabis use associated with increased secondhand cannabis smoke exposure in children?
- ?Does parental cannabis use affect child health outcomes independently of tobacco smoke?
- ?How has parental cannabis use changed since 2015 as more states legalized?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis use among parents rose from 4.9% to 6.8% while cigarette smoking fell from 27.6% to 20.2%
- Evidence Grade:
- Nationally representative data with 14 years of trends published in Pediatrics provides moderate evidence on population-level substance use patterns among parents.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2018 with data through 2015. Cannabis legalization has expanded significantly since, likely accelerating the trends observed.
- Original Title:
- Trends in Cannabis and Cigarette Use Among Parents With Children at Home: 2002 to 2015.
- Published In:
- Pediatrics, 141(6) (2018)
- Authors:
- Goodwin, Renee D(6), Cheslack-Postava, Keely(3), Santoscoy, Samantha, Bakoyiannis, Nina, Hasin, Deborah S, Collins, Bradley N, Lepore, Stephen J, Wall, Melanie M
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01664
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Are more parents using cannabis?
Yes. Past-month cannabis use among parents with children at home rose from 4.9% in 2002 to 6.8% in 2015. The increase was sharpest among parents who also smoke cigarettes (11% to 17.4%).
Are fewer parents using substances overall?
Yes. Despite the cannabis increase, the decline in cigarette smoking was larger, so the overall percentage of parents using either substance fell from 29.7% to 23.5% over the same period.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01664APA
Goodwin, Renee D; Cheslack-Postava, Keely; Santoscoy, Samantha; Bakoyiannis, Nina; Hasin, Deborah S; Collins, Bradley N; Lepore, Stephen J; Wall, Melanie M. (2018). Trends in Cannabis and Cigarette Use Among Parents With Children at Home: 2002 to 2015.. Pediatrics, 141(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3506
MLA
Goodwin, Renee D, et al. "Trends in Cannabis and Cigarette Use Among Parents With Children at Home: 2002 to 2015.." Pediatrics, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3506
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Trends in Cannabis and Cigarette Use Among Parents With Chil..." RTHC-01664. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/goodwin-2018-trends-in-cannabis-and
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.