Associations of Parental Marijuana Use With Offspring Marijuana, Tobacco, and Alcohol Use and Opioid Misuse

• Published in: JAMA network open 2019-11, Vol.2 (11), p.e1916015-e1916015
• Main Authors: Madras, Bertha K, Han, Beth, Compton, Wilson M, Jones, Christopher M, Lopez, Elizabeth I, McCance-Katz, Elinore F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol use; Drug use; Fathers; Households; Marijuana; Mothers; Narcotics; Online Only; Original Investigation; Substance Use and Addiction; Teenagers; Tobacco; Young adults
• ISSN: 2574-3805; 2574-3805
• DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.16015

Marijuana use is increasing among adults and often co-occurs with other substance use; therefore, it is important to examine whether parental marijuana use is associated with elevated risk of substance use among offspring living in the same household. To examine associations of parental marijuana use with offspring marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol use and opioid misuse. This cross-sectional study used survey data from the 2015 through 2018 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which provide nationally representative data on adolescents or young adults living with a parent (the mother or the father). Annual average percentages were based on survey sampling weights. Final analyses were conducted September 21 through 23, 2019. Parental marijuana use status. Offspring self-reported use of marijuana, tobacco, or alcohol or misuse of opioids. Survey respondents included 24 900 father-offspring or mother-offspring dyads sampled from the same household. Among mothers living with adolescent offspring, 8.2% (95% CI, 7.3%-9.2%) had past-year marijuana use, while 7.6% (95% CI, 6.2%-9.2%) of mothers living with young adult offspring had past-year marijuana use. Among fathers living with adolescent offspring, 9.6% (95% CI, 8.5%-10.8%) had past-year marijuana use, and 9.0% (95% CI, 7.4%-10.9%) of fathers living with young adult offspring had past-year marijuana use. Compared with adolescents whose mothers never used marijuana, adjusted relative risk (ARR) of past-year marijuana use was higher among those whose mothers had lifetime (without past-year) marijuana use (ARR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.6; P = .007), less than 52 days of past-year marijuana use (ARR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.7; P = .02), or 52 days or more of past-year marijuana use (ARR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.2; P = .02). Compared with young adults whose mothers never used marijuana, adjusted risk of past-year marijuana use was higher among those whose mothers had lifetime (without past-year) marijuana use (ARR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7; P = .001), less than 52 days of past-year marijuana use (ARR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0-2.3; P = .049), or 52 days or more of past-year marijuana use (ARR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5; P = .002). Compared with adolescents whose fathers never used marijuana, adolescents whose fathers had less than 52 days of past-year marijuana use were more likely to use marijuana (ARR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.7; P = .006). Compared with young adults whose fathers never used marijuana, young adults whose fathers had 52 days