Swedish Study Finds Higher-Income Families Linked to Greater Teen Cannabis Use
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.
Quick Facts
What This Study 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.
Key Numbers
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 They Did This
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.
Why This Research 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 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.
What This Study Doesn't 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.
Questions This Raises
- ?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?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 39% lower cannabis use risk for low-SES Swedish teens
- Evidence Grade:
- National cohort design with linked register data and multilevel modeling, though limited to a single country context.
- Study Age:
- 2025 publication
- Original Title:
- Socioeconomic status and adolescent cannabis use: a Swedish cohort study.
- Published In:
- Journal of cannabis research, 7(1), 67 (2025)
- Authors:
- Karlsson, Patrik(2), Ekendahl, Mats(2), Gripe, Isabella(2), Raninen, Jonas
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06795
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked 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 More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06795APA
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
MLA
Karlsson, Patrik, et al. "Socioeconomic status and adolescent cannabis use: a Swedish cohort study.." Journal of cannabis research, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00334-3
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Socioeconomic status and adolescent cannabis use: a Swedish ..." RTHC-06795. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/karlsson-2025-socioeconomic-status-and-adolescent
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.