Study Finds Daily Cannabis Use Rising Among American Parents

Cannabis use among American parents increased substantially between 2012 and 2024, raising concerns about child safety, accidental exposure and parental impairment, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego. The findings indicate that at least 5.9 million US children lived with a parent who used cannabis on most days in 2024.

By 2024, 8% of parents used cannabis on most days, while 5.2% reported daily use and 6.7% met the criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD). The study also found that daily cannabis use among parents was about four times as common as daily alcohol use.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 482,000 US individuals ages 12 and older who participated in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the study found increases across nearly all demographic groups, with some of the largest rises among younger and unmarried parents, people in lower-income households and those without a four-year college degree.

Jarid Pachter, a physician specializing in family medicine and addiction medicine at Stony Brook Medicine in New York who was not involved in the research, raised concerns about the growing social acceptance of cannabis and its potential effects on families.

"Marijuana has become so socially acceptable that people are starting to overlook the risks," Pachter told Fox News Digital.

He emphasized that legal status does not eliminate potential health and safety concerns associated with cannabis consumption.

"Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's harmless," Pachter said.

Pachter also warned that regular cannabis use in the household could influence how children perceive the substance. Studies have associated parental marijuana use with a greater likelihood that children will use cannabis as they grow older, although that relationship does not establish that parental use directly causes later consumption.

"If marijuana use is a regular part of life at home, children may start to see it as something that's normal and relatively harmless," Pachter said.

He cautioned that the association between parental and child cannabis use should not be interpreted as proof of direct causation.

"That doesn't necessarily mean the parent's marijuana use is causing the child to use, but there's clearly an association," Pachter said.

Pachter also highlighted the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabis's primary psychoactive chemical, which can affect attention, memory, coordination and reaction time. He said these effects could become a safety concern when adults are responsible for young children.

"When you have young children, you need to be alert and able to respond to their needs," Pachter said. "I'm not suggesting that someone who uses marijuana can't be a good parent. My concern is about being impaired when you're responsible for a child's safety."

He also questioned whether daily cannabis consumption should be considered harmless simply because it is increasingly accepted.

"I also think we need to be careful about normalizing daily marijuana use," Pachter said. "We wouldn't automatically consider daily alcohol use harmless, and we shouldn't look at marijuana that way, either."

Accidental ingestion presents another risk, particularly for young children who may mistake cannabis edibles for ordinary sweets. Pachter pointed to increases in emergency department visits involving children who accidentally consume marijuana.

"We've seen significant increases in emergency room visits involving children who accidentally consume marijuana," Pachter told Fox News Digital.

He described possible consequences ranging from severe sedation and confusion to impaired walking, breathing difficulties and hospitalization in more serious cases.

"Some develop severe sedation, confusion and difficulty walking. In more serious cases, children can have breathing problems and require hospitalization," Pachter said.

Frequent cannabis consumption is also associated with a greater risk of developing cannabis use disorder, Pachter cautioned. He noted that high-potency products may carry additional concerns for susceptible individuals.

"We also know THC can affect memory, attention and coordination. Frequent use, particularly of high-potency products, is associated with an increased risk of certain psychiatric problems in susceptible individuals," Pachter said.

Secondhand smoke is another potential source of exposure for children living in households where adults smoke cannabis. Researchers are still examining the long-term health consequences of exposure to THC through smoke.

"Marijuana smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke," Pachter said. "We know children can be exposed to THC through secondhand smoke, although we're still learning about the long-term health effects."

Pachter recommended that people who use cannabis daily consider whether they can stop using it and whether consumption affects their work, relationships or responsibilities. For parents, he stressed the importance of assessing whether cannabis use interferes with their ability to care for their children.

"And if you're a parent, you need to consider whether your marijuana use is affecting your ability to care for your children," Pachter said.

The researchers acknowledged several limitations. They did not evaluate parenting quality or children's health, and the findings do not establish that parental cannabis use causes adverse outcomes among children.

The analysis also relied on self-reported substance use, which may be affected by inaccurate recall or reporting bias. The researchers called for additional studies examining how the frequency of parental cannabis consumption, cannabis use disorder, household exposure and storage practices relate to children's health and development.

The study received funding support from the California Department of Cannabis Control, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.