Young Adults Allow Marijuana Smoke in Their Homes More Than Cigarette Smoke
Among college students, 17% allowed marijuana smoking in their homes versus 14.5% for cigarettes, with marijuana permissiveness driven by personal use and positive perceptions rather than peer or parental smoking.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Researchers surveyed 2,002 students at two southeastern U.S. universities about allowing smoking in personal spaces. More students permitted marijuana (17%) than cigarettes (14.5%) in their homes, though more allowed cigarettes in cars (35.9%) than marijuana (27.3%).
The factors predicting each policy differed. Allowing cigarettes in the home was linked to younger age, minority status, living off campus, personal marijuana use, and parental tobacco use. Allowing marijuana in the home was linked to older age, not having children, living off campus, positive marijuana perceptions, and personal, parental, and friend marijuana use.
Personal marijuana use predicted allowing cigarettes in the home, and personal cigarette use predicted allowing marijuana in cars, showing how the two substances' secondhand smoke policies are interlinked.
Key Numbers
2,002 respondents; 14.5% allowed cigarettes in home; 17.0% allowed marijuana in home; 35.9% allowed cigarettes in cars; 27.3% allowed marijuana in cars
How They Did This
Cross-sectional online survey of 2,002 respondents at two southeastern U.S. universities in 2013. Multivariate logistic regression identified correlates of allowing cigarette versus marijuana smoking in homes and cars.
Why This Research Matters
Secondhand marijuana smoke exposure in personal settings is an understudied health concern. This study revealed that young adults are more permissive of marijuana than cigarette smoke in their homes, potentially exposing cohabitants to harmful combustion products.
The Bigger Picture
Decades of public health messaging have reduced tolerance for cigarette smoke in personal settings, but marijuana smoke has not received the same attention. As marijuana use becomes more accepted, secondhand exposure norms need to catch up with tobacco norms.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Southeastern U.S. university sample may not generalize. Self-reported policies may not reflect actual behavior. Cross-sectional design. Did not measure actual secondhand exposure levels.
Questions This Raises
- ?How does secondhand marijuana smoke exposure in homes compare to cigarette smoke in health effects?
- ?Would public health campaigns about marijuana secondhand smoke change permissiveness?
- ?Have these patterns changed since marijuana legalization?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 17% allowed marijuana smoke in homes vs. 14.5% for cigarettes
- Evidence Grade:
- Large university sample with multivariate analysis, but limited to two schools in the southeastern U.S. and cross-sectional design.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2015 using 2013 data. Marijuana legalization and changing norms have likely shifted these patterns.
- Original Title:
- Allowing cigarette or marijuana smoking in the home and car: prevalence and correlates in a young adult sample.
- Published In:
- Health education research, 30(1), 179-91 (2015)
- Authors:
- Padilla, Mabel, Berg, Carla J(27), Schauer, Gillian L(6), Lang, Delia L, Kegler, Michelle C
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01030
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Is secondhand marijuana smoke harmful?
Marijuana smoke contains many of the same toxins as tobacco smoke. This study found young adults are more permissive of marijuana smoke in homes than cigarette smoke, suggesting secondhand exposure may be an underappreciated concern.
Why do more people allow marijuana than cigarettes indoors?
The study did not answer this directly, but the correlates suggest positive perceptions of marijuana and social norms around marijuana use (personal, friend, and parental use) drive permissiveness, whereas cigarette smoke has been more effectively stigmatized by public health campaigns.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01030APA
Padilla, Mabel; Berg, Carla J; Schauer, Gillian L; Lang, Delia L; Kegler, Michelle C. (2015). Allowing cigarette or marijuana smoking in the home and car: prevalence and correlates in a young adult sample.. Health education research, 30(1), 179-91. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyu051
MLA
Padilla, Mabel, et al. "Allowing cigarette or marijuana smoking in the home and car: prevalence and correlates in a young adult sample.." Health education research, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyu051
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Allowing cigarette or marijuana smoking in the home and car:..." RTHC-01030. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/padilla-2015-allowing-cigarette-or-marijuana
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.