Friends' Cannabis Use Had a Bigger Impact Than Advertising on Young Adults' Cannabis Habits | Research

The takeaway

Among 4,031 U.S. young adults, friends' use and parental use both directly increased cannabis use frequency, while advertising exposure influenced use primarily by changing motives — and all three sources reduced perceived harm of cannabis.

Cannabis policy researchers, prevention program designers, advertising regulators, and public health advocates.

What the researchers found

Parental and friends' cannabis use showed direct effects on both use status and frequency. Advertising exposure showed direct effects on use status but not frequency. All three exposures reduced perceived harm, and perceived harm mediated associations to use. Interestingly, advertising increased perceived addictiveness, but higher perceived addictiveness was associated with lower use likelihood but more frequent use among those who used.

Why it matters

Understanding whether social influences or marketing drives cannabis use informs where prevention efforts should focus. The finding that friends' and parental use have direct behavioral effects — while advertising works more through changing perceptions — suggests different intervention strategies for each.

The numbers in context

4,031 young adults, ~49% past-month cannabis users. Friends' use: direct effect on use status and frequency, mediated by lower perceived harm and higher motives. Advertising: direct effect on use status, increased perceived addictiveness AND harm AND motives. Parental use: direct effects mediated by lower perceived harm.

How the study worked

Path analyses of 2023 survey data from 4,031 U.S. young adults (48.8% past-month cannabis users by design; mean age 26.39, 59.4% female). Parental use, friends' use, and advertising exposure examined in relation to past-month use status and frequency, with perceived risk and motives as mediators.

What this study cannot tell us

Cross-sectional — cannot determine causal direction. Self-reported measures of exposure and use. By-design oversampling of cannabis users. Cannot distinguish between types of advertising (retail, social media, brand). Path analysis assumes correct causal ordering.

How to read the evidence

Large sample with path analysis examining multiple mediating pathways, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.

When this study was published

Published 2025, 2023 survey data.

The bigger picture

The paradox of advertising — it increases both perceived addictiveness and perceived harm while still increasing use — suggests cannabis advertising activates curiosity and use motives that override risk awareness. This has important implications for advertising regulation in legal markets.

Questions still open

Would restricting cannabis advertising reduce initiation in young adults? Can perceived harm messaging overcome the motivational effects of social exposure? Should prevention target parental cannabis use as an upstream factor?

Common questions

Does cannabis advertising increase use?

Advertising exposure was associated with cannabis use, but primarily by changing perceptions and motives rather than through direct behavioral effects. Interestingly, advertising increased perceived addictiveness while still promoting use — suggesting warning messages in ads may not prevent initiation.

How much do parents influence their kids' cannabis use?

Parental cannabis use directly increased young adults' use status and frequency, partly by reducing perceived harm. This suggests parents who use cannabis may inadvertently normalize it, even without explicitly encouraging use.

Read the original research

Exposure to Cannabis in Social Networks and Advertising in Relation to Cannabis-Related Perceptions, Motives, and Use Behaviors Among Young Adults in the US.

Substance use & misuse, 60(11), 1720-1728

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Wang, Yan; Speer, Morgan; Rossheim, Matthew E; Chen-Sankey, Julia; LoParco, Cassidy R; Cui, Yuxian; Romm, Katelyn F; Schubel, Laura; Chakraborty, Rishika; Cavazos-Rehg, Patricia A; Berg, Carla J. (2025). Exposure to Cannabis in Social Networks and Advertising in Relation to Cannabis-Related Perceptions, Motives, and Use Behaviors Among Young Adults in the US.. Substance use & misuse, 60(11), 1720-1728. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2025.2515155