Children Whose Mothers Use Marijuana Are More Likely to Try It Themselves at Younger Age

According to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, mothers’ cannabis use is associated with earlier cannabis initiation by their children. 

The research, which analysed longitudinal data for 4,440 children and 2,586 mothers, evaluated the effect of maternal marijuana use between a child's birth and age 12 on that child's subsequent marijuana initiation.

Their results found that the children whose mothers used marijuana were at a significantly higher risk of using marijuana themselves before the age of 17. This effect was slightly stronger among non-Hispanic, non-black children.

This research is important because it is recognised that the chances of experiencing health consequences, including anxiety and depression, associated with cannabis are strongly linked with the age at which a person starts using the drug. 

It is understood that cannabis use during developmentally critical ages can impact young people’s attention, concentration, decision-making, working memory, and increases levels of impulsivity. 

By understanding the link between parents’ use of marijuana and the age at which their children start using the drug, practitioners can target this particular group of young people for early, evidence-based intervention, in order to try to delay initiation. 

These findings can also be used to help identify risk factors for early initiation, which can, in turn, support the design and delivery of intervention.