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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.