Parent Disapproval Directly Reduces Youth Cannabis Use While Peer Disapproval Works Through Risk Perception

Parent disapproval had a stronger direct effect on reducing youth marijuana use, while peer disapproval had a stronger indirect effect working through increased risk perception. Both parent and peer disapproval increased youth risk perception of marijuana. The mechanisms were similar regardless of whether youth lived in states with medical marijuana legalization.

Cross-sectional analysis of the 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, focusing on youth aged 12-17 (N=2,293). Used structural equation modeling and bias-corrected bootstrapping to test path models. Compared mediating mechanisms between youth in medical marijuana legalization (MML) states and non-MML states.

Understanding how social disapproval reduces youth cannabis use through different pathways can help design more effective prevention programs. The finding that these mechanisms work similarly regardless of legal status suggests that social influence remains potent even as laws change.

As cannabis legalization expands, there is concern that reduced social disapproval will increase youth use. This study suggests that parental and peer attitudes still strongly shape youth behavior regardless of legal context, pointing to the importance of maintaining clear messaging from trusted social sources.

Cross-sectional design cannot establish temporal ordering of disapproval, risk perception, and use. Self-reported data from 12-17-year-olds may be subject to social desirability bias. MML states vary widely in their specific regulations and enforcement.