90% of marijuana-using parents said their pediatrician never asked about their use | Research

The takeaway

Among 167 marijuana-using caregivers at a Colorado children's hospital, only 5.4% reported that their child's pediatrician had ever asked about caregiver marijuana use.

Pediatricians, family medicine providers, and parents who use marijuana.

90.3% of marijuana-using parents said pediatrician never asked about their use

What the researchers found

Of 1,500 caregivers surveyed, 167 (11%) reported using marijuana. Among marijuana-using caregivers who responded, 149 (90.3%) said their pediatrician had never inquired about their marijuana use, 9 (5.4%) said yes, and 7 (4.2%) were unsure.

Why it matters

In Colorado, where recreational cannabis is legal, secondhand cannabis smoke exposure to children is a real concern. If 90% of marijuana-using parents report never being asked about their use, pediatricians are missing opportunities for harm reduction counseling.

The numbers in context

1,500 caregivers surveyed. 167 (11%) used marijuana. Of those, 90.3% said pediatrician never asked, 5.4% said yes, 4.2% unsure.

How the study worked

Cross-sectional convenience sample survey of 1,500 caregivers presenting to the Children's Hospital Colorado Pediatric Emergency Department between December 2015 and July 2017. Asked about caregiver marijuana use and whether their child's pediatrician had ever inquired about it.

What this study cannot tell us

Convenience sample from a single emergency department. Self-reported data. Colorado-specific context may not generalize. Survey did not assess actual secondhand exposure levels or child health outcomes.

How to read the evidence

Moderate sample but convenience sampling from a single site. Highlights a screening gap rather than measuring outcomes.

When this study was published

2021 publication with data from 2015-2017 in Colorado.

The bigger picture

Pediatricians routinely screen for tobacco and alcohol use but appear to lag far behind on marijuana screening, even in states where use is legal. As cannabis normalization continues, this gap in clinical practice could leave children unprotected from secondhand exposure.

Questions still open

Would pediatrician screening change caregiver behavior? What barriers prevent pediatricians from asking about cannabis use? Is secondhand cannabis smoke exposure causing measurable harm in children?

Common questions

How common was marijuana use among parents in this study?

About 11% (167 out of 1,500) of caregivers surveyed at a Colorado children's hospital reported using marijuana.

Why should pediatricians ask about parent marijuana use?

Secondhand marijuana smoke exposure can affect children, and marijuana-using parents may benefit from harm reduction counseling about safe storage and minimizing child exposure.

Read the original research

Are marijuana-using caregivers being asked about their marijuana use by their child's pediatrician?

Preventive medicine reports, 24, 101548

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Johnson, Adam B; Watson, Dana B. (2021). Are marijuana-using caregivers being asked about their marijuana use by their child's pediatrician?. Preventive medicine reports, 24, 101548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101548