Clinicians Say Parents and Teens Both Downplay Cannabis Risks | Research

The takeaway

Interviews with 32 clinicians across four specialties found that both adolescents and their parents minimizing cannabis risks is a major barrier to treatment.

Pediatricians, school counselors, adolescent mental health providers, parents

Both adolescents and parents minimizing cannabis risks identified as the top treatment barrier

What the researchers found

Key barriers to treating adolescent cannabis use include minimization of risks by both teens and parents. Facilitators include using multiple screening tools, patient-centered approaches, and framing cannabis use within mental health context. Peer influence, virtual treatment, and parental involvement were context-dependent factors.

Why it matters

Clinicians across multiple specialties encounter adolescent cannabis use but face consistent barriers. Their cross-specialty insights reveal actionable strategies for improving treatment engagement.

The numbers in context

32 clinicians interviewed (mean age 45.9, 56.3% female, 56.3% White) from four clinical settings: addiction medicine, ED, mental health, and pediatrics.

How the study worked

Qualitative study interviewing 32 clinicians from addiction medicine (n=13), emergency department (n=7), mental health (n=7), and pediatrics (n=5) in an integrated healthcare system.

What this study cannot tell us

Clinician perspectives from one healthcare system. No direct patient or parent input. Qualitative design limits generalizability of findings.

How to read the evidence

Qualitative interviews across multiple specialties provide rich clinical insights but cannot quantify prevalence of barriers.

When this study was published

2025 study from an integrated healthcare system.

The bigger picture

As cannabis becomes increasingly normalized, the challenge of getting teens and families to take cannabis use seriously grows. Clinicians see this minimization as perhaps the biggest obstacle to meaningful intervention.

Questions still open

What strategies most effectively counter risk minimization in teens and parents? How can screening be improved to catch at-risk adolescents earlier?

Common questions

Why is it hard to treat teen cannabis use?

Clinicians reported that both teenagers and their parents tend to minimize the risks of cannabis use, making it difficult to engage either party in treatment. Peer influence and inconsistent parental involvement add to the challenge.

What helps clinicians address teen cannabis use?

Using multiple screening tools, taking patient-centered approaches, and discussing cannabis in the context of mental health were identified as the most effective strategies across multiple clinical settings.

Read the original research

Clinician perspectives on barriers and facilitators to the treatment of adolescent cannabis use: A qualitative study.

Journal of substance use and addiction treatment, 169, 209559

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Mian, Maha N; Annam, Jay; Altschuler, Andrea; Does, Monique B; Sterling, Stacy A; Satre, Derek D; Campbell, Cynthia I; Asyyed, Asma H; Silver, Lynn D; Cunningham, Sarah F; Young-Wolff, Kelly C. (2025). Clinician perspectives on barriers and facilitators to the treatment of adolescent cannabis use: A qualitative study.. Journal of substance use and addiction treatment, 169, 209559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2024.209559