Swedish Study Finds Higher-Income Families Linked to Greater Teen Cannabis Use | Research

The takeaway

In a Swedish national cohort, adolescents with higher-SES parents had a significantly greater risk of cannabis use compared to those from lower-SES backgrounds.

Prevention program designers, public health researchers, policymakers

39% lower cannabis use risk for low-SES Swedish teens

What the researchers found

Adolescents with low-SES parents had 39% lower risk of any past-year cannabis use compared to those with high-SES parents (adjusted RR = 0.61). Those with intermediate-SES parents also showed lower risk (RR = 0.71). For more frequent use (10+ times), no significant association with SES was found.

Why it matters

The assumption that cannabis use concentrates in disadvantaged communities does not hold everywhere. In Sweden, the pattern runs in the opposite direction for occasional use, which has implications for how prevention programs are targeted.

The numbers in context

n = 3,328; low-SES RR = 0.61 (95% CI 0.42-0.87); intermediate-SES RR = 0.71 (95% CI 0.53-0.95); frequent use showed no significant SES association.

How the study worked

Two-wave nationwide cohort study (Futura01) of 3,328 Swedish adolescents with linked register data on parental education. Used multilevel Poisson regression controlling for demographics, family and school variables, conduct and emotional problems, and baseline cannabis use.

What this study cannot tell us

Swedish-specific findings may not generalize to other countries with different cannabis policies. Parental education as the sole SES measure may miss other dimensions of disadvantage. Self-reported cannabis use is subject to underreporting.

How to read the evidence

National cohort design with linked register data and multilevel modeling, though limited to a single country context.

When this study was published

2025 publication

The bigger picture

This finding contrasts with U.S. data showing cannabis retailers cluster in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Cross-national differences suggest that the relationship between socioeconomic status and cannabis use is shaped by policy context, cultural norms, and market structures rather than being universal.

Questions still open

What drives the reversed SES gradient in Swedish adolescent cannabis use compared to some other countries?
Does the SES pattern change as cannabis policies evolve in Europe?

Common questions

Are teens from wealthier families more likely to use cannabis?

In this Swedish study, yes. Adolescents with high-SES parents had significantly higher rates of past-year cannabis use compared to those from lower-SES backgrounds. However, for frequent use (10+ times per year), no SES difference was found.

Does socioeconomic status predict teen cannabis use the same way everywhere?

No. This Swedish study found higher-SES teens were more likely to use cannabis, which contrasts with patterns seen in some other countries. The relationship appears to depend on cultural context and cannabis policy.

Read the original research

Socioeconomic status and adolescent cannabis use: a Swedish cohort study.

Journal of cannabis research, 7(1), 67

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Karlsson, Patrik; Ekendahl, Mats; Gripe, Isabella; Raninen, Jonas. (2025). Socioeconomic status and adolescent cannabis use: a Swedish cohort study.. Journal of cannabis research, 7(1), 67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00334-3