Washington State Recreational Marijuana Legalization: Parent and Adolescent Perceptions, Knowledge, and Discussions in a Sample of Low-Income Families

Abstract

Background: In November 2012, Washington State and Colorado became the first states in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults, and Uruguay became the first country to allow the cultivation, distribution, possession, and use of marijuana. One possible consequence of these changes is increased adolescent marijuana use. Parents may mitigate this adverse consequence; however, whether parents and adolescents have accurate knowledge about the laws and are discussing marijuana use in light of the law changes is unknown. Objective: We examine perceptions, knowledge, and parent–child discussions about Washington State's recreational marijuana law in a sample of low-income families. Methods: Participants were a subset of families (n = 115) in an ongoing study that originally recruited parents and adolescents from middle schools in Tacoma, Washington. In summer 2013, when students were entering the 11^th grade, students and their parents were asked questions about the recreational marijuana law. Results: Participants perceived that their marijuana-related attitudes and behaviors changed little as a result of the law, and displayed uncertainty about what is legal and illegal. Most parents reported discussing the new law with their children but only occasionally, and conversations emphasized household rules, particularly among parent lifetime marijuana users compared to non-users. Conclusions/Importance: Results suggest that there should be a public health campaign focused on families that provides clear information about the recreational marijuana laws.

Keywords: :

• marijuana use
• law
• legalization
• parent
• adolescent

THE AUTHORS

W. Alex Mason, Ph.D., is Director of Research at the Boys Town National Research Institute for Child and Family Studies. His research interests include the developmental etiology and family-based prevention of adolescent and young adult substance misuse and co-occurring problems. He also has interests in longitudinal and intervention-related methods and analytic techniques.

Koren Hanson, M.A., is a Data Manager at the Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington. She has worked on a variety of studies examining family-, school-, and community-based prevention programs and policies.

Charles B. Fleming, M.A., is a Research Scientist at the Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington. He has worked for over 20 years as a data manager and analyst on studies of preventive and treatment interventions and the etiology of prosocial and antisocial behaviors.

Jay L. Ringle, M.A., is a Senior Research Analyst at the Boys Town National Research Institute for Child and Family Studies. He received a M.A. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has research interests in evaluating family-based treatment and prevention programs and has been involved in studying the effects of the Washington State recreational marijuana law on adolescents since 2013.

Kevin P. Haggerty, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Communities That Care and Director of the Social Development Research Group, specializes in the development and implementation of prevention programs at the community, school, and family levels. For more than 25 years, Dr. Haggerty and his colleagues have been developing methods to organize the scientific knowledge base for prevention so that parents, communities and schools can identify, assess and prioritize approaches that meet their needs.

GLOSSARY

• Knowledge about the law change: Parents’ and adolescents’ understanding of what is legal and illegal under recreational marijuana legalization.

• Parent–Child Discussions about the law change: The frequency and content of conversations that parents have with their adolescents in regard to recreational marijuana legalization.

• Perceptions about the law change: Parents’ and adolescents’ subjective judgments about the impact of recreational marijuana legalization on their marijuana-related attitudes and behaviors.

• Recreational Marijuana Legalization: In November 2012, Colorado and Washington State in the United States legalized marijuana use for nonmedical, recreational purposes among adults age 21 and