What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Mental Health, Addiction.

Where was this research published?

Published in PloS one on January 1, 2026.

How cannabis stores near you shape parental attitudes and use

Q: What did this research study find?

This longitudinal study followed **471 parents in Washington State** from 2015 to 2017 to understand how proximity to legal cannabis retail stores affects their cannabis use patterns and attitudes. Researchers measured both *perceived availability* (how many outlets parents thought were nearby) and

Local availability of cannabis retail outlets on parents' cannabis use, acceptability, and perceived addictiveness: A longitudinal study in Washington State.

PloS one • January 1, 2026 • Moderately Relevant

🤖

AI Summary

This longitudinal study followed 471 parents in Washington State from 2015 to 2017 to understand how proximity to legal cannabis retail stores affects their cannabis use patterns and attitudes. Researchers measured both perceived availability (how many outlets parents thought were nearby) and objective availability (actual number of stores within a 10-minute drive), then tracked how these factors correlated with parents' cannabis use frequency, views on acceptability of parental use, and beliefs about addiction potential. The study capitalized on Washington's legalization in 2014, providing a real-world laboratory for understanding how retail expansion influences parental behavior.

The findings revealed a clear pattern: parents living in neighborhoods with more cannabis outlets reported higher cannabis use frequencies, viewed parental cannabis use as more socially acceptable, and perceived cannabis as less addictive. Importantly, these associations held both when comparing different parents to each other (between-person effects) and when tracking the same parents over time in different locations (within-person effects). This suggests that increased retail availability isn't just correlating with existing attitudes—it appears to be actively shifting how parents think about cannabis use.

The research carries significant public health implications, particularly for youth substance use prevention. Since parental attitudes and behaviors strongly influence children's future substance use, the study suggests that neighborhoods experiencing rapid cannabis retail expansion may see shifting family norms around cannabis that could inadvertently increase youth risk. The authors recommend that prevention programs targeting families should be enhanced in neighborhoods with high outlet density, and that policymakers should consider retail licensing decisions as part of broader community health strategy, not just commerce regulation.

📄 Original Abstract

Parents represent a growing yet understudied population of people who use cannabis in the era of legalization. Studies examining how increasing availability of cannabis retail stores affects parental cannabis use, norms, and perceived harm are needed to guide interventions to support families. This longitudinal study examines whether perceived and objectively measured cannabis outlet availability are associated with parents' cannabis use frequency, acceptability, and perceived addictiveness in Washington State, where nonmedical cannabis retail stores opened in 2014. Parents (n = 471) in the Seattle Social Development Project - The Intergenerational Project were surveyed in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Multilevel models were used to estimate within- and between-person associations between (a) perceived cannabis outlet availability (self-reported number of outlets in one's neighborhood) and (b) objective cannabis outlet availability (number of outlets within a 10-minute drive time from home) with past-year cannabis use frequencies, acceptability of parental cannabis use, and perceived addictiveness. Local retail outlet availability was higher in later waves. There were significant between-person associations, such that parents residing in neighborhoods with greater cannabis outlet availability (both perceived and objectively measured) over the course of the study had greater cannabis use frequency, higher acceptability of use, and lower perceived addictiveness. When comparing the same parents over time, the association between objectively measured outlet availability and acceptability of use was replicated in the within-person analysis, such that parents had greater acceptability of parental cannabis use in years when they lived in neighborhoods with higher objective outlet availability. Legal cannabis retail stores are increasingly common within neighborhoods. Prevention programming to support families residing in neighborhoods with greater outlet availability may reduce permissive cannabis norms and use among parents, which can have strong implications for youth substance use prevention and positive youth development.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: PloS one
Published: January 1, 2026
PMID: 42201904
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0348182

Authors (6)

Vi T Le Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Jennifer A Bailey Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Marina Epstein Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
Matthew D Dunbar Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
A Karryn Satchell Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
+1 more authors