Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013;3(2):190-194.
doi: 10.2174/2210676611303020010.

Medical Marijuana Use and Parenting: A Qualitative Study

Christian Thurstone  1   2 , Ingrid A Binswanger  1   2 , Karen F Corsi  2 , Deborah J Rinehart  1   2 , Robert E Booth  2
Affiliations

Medical Marijuana Use and Parenting: A Qualitative Study

Christian Thurstone et al. Adolesc Psychiatry (Hilversum). 2013.

Abstract

Background: The number of medical marijuana patients is increasing. This increase raises important concerns about how medical marijuana use may affect parenting.

Methods: Thirty-two adult medical marijuana patients participated in focus groups. The focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were coded by a team that met regularly to resolve coding differences. Codes related to parenting were used to develop a conceptual model for this manuscript.

Results: Six of 11 participants who identified being parents reported that using marijuana helped them to be calmer with their children and to manage difficult emotions related to parenting. At the same time, most medical marijuana patients did not want their children to use marijuana. Their concerns about their children led to different strategies related to storing medical marijuana securely and how to communicate with children about medical marijuana use.

Conclusions: These findings show that many medical marijuana patients are concerned about their children using marijuana and may be open to strategies to addressing this issue with their children. These findings also show that some medical marijuana patients may benefit from alternative strategies for managing difficult emotions related to parenting.

Keywords: Adolescents; marijuana; medical; parenting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare they have no conflict of interest relevant to this article.

Figures

Fig. (1).
Fig. (1).
Conceptual Model of How Medical Marijuana Patients Approach Marijuana as It Relates to Parenting.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bowles D, W. (2012). Persons registered for medical marijuana in the United States. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 15, 9–11. - PubMed
    1. Budney AJ, Hughes JR, Moore BA, & Vandrey R (2004). Review of the validity and significance of cannabis withdrawal syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 1967–1977. - PubMed
    1. Colorado State Constitution (2001). Retrieved from http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheadername1=Con...
    1. Conaboy C (2012, November 6). Massachusetts voters approve ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana. Boston Globe; Retrieved from <http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/11/06/massachusetts-voters-approve-...>
    1. Curtis PA, & McCullogh C (1993). The impact of alcohol and other drugs on the child welfare system. Child Welfare, 6,533–542. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources