Subjective perceptions may help shape the behavior of individuals, even though perceptions may not always reflect reality. With widespread use of cannabis among youth and young adults, along with the recent legalization of recreational cannabis use and sales, some people may believe that there is little risk in using cannabis. However, just because cannabis is legal, it does not mean that cannabis is safe. There is evidence showing cannabis use, especially early and regular use, is harmful to brain development and function (NIDA, 2019).
From 1991 to 2023 in the US, perceived harmfulness of occasional cannabis use decreased among 12th graders (40.6% to 13.4%).
Younger students were more likely to perceive great risk, but followed a similar pattern as 12th graders over the past three decades. Perceived great risk among 10th and 8th graders increased over the past two years (Figure 1).
Perceived risk of cannabis has been inversely associated with cannabis use among secondary school students (Miech).
Overall in 2023, among people aged 12+ in the US, 20.5% perceived great risk of harm from occasionally (once a month) smoking cannabis, and 25.3% perceived great risk of harm from regularly (once or twice a week) smoking cannabis.
Young adults aged 18-25 years were less likely than either youth 12-17 or adults 26+ to perceive great risk of harm from occasionally (11.3%) or regularly (14.5%) smoking cannabis (Figure 2).
In 2023, among youth aged 12-17 in the US, about a third of females (34.8%) and males (31.7%) perceived smoking cannabis regularly to be a great risk of harm. About one fifth of females (22.2%) and males (21.0%) perceived great risk of harm from smoking cannabis occasionally (Figure 3).
In 2023, among youth aged 12-17 in the US, Asians were more likely to perceive great risk of harm from both smoking cannabis regularly (48.9%) and occasionally (25.5%) compared to other race/ethnic groups.
Latinxs were the least likely to perceive great risk of harm from smoking cannabis regularly (29.4%), while those of multiple races were the least likely to perceive great risk of harm from smoking cannabis occasionally (18.8%) (Figure 4).
In LAC, a large proportion of residents do not perceive regular cannabis use to be a great risk.
In 2022, over half (54.8%) of people in LAC believed youth greatly risked harming themselves if they use cannabis regularly (at least once or twice a week). Fewer (49.3%) believed adults greatly risked harming themselves if they use cannabis regularly.
Those who have ever used cannabis (i.e., users) were less likely to perceive regular cannabis use as a great risk to both youth and adults compared to non-users (Figures 5-6).
In 2022 in LAC, perceived risk of regular cannabis use generally increased with age among both cannabis users and non-users. Non-users aged 40+ were the most likely, and users aged 18-20 were the least likely to perceive great risk of harm to both youth and adults from regular cannabis use (Figures 7-8).
In 2022 in LAC, females, particularly non-users, were more likely than males to perceive great risk of harm to youth and adults from regular cannabis use (Figures 9-10).
In 2022 in LAC, Asian non-users were more likely to perceive great risk of harm to both youth and adults from regular cannabis use compared to other race/ethnic groups. Perceived great risk of harm to youth from regular cannabis use was lowest among users identifying as multi-racial/ethnic. Perceived great risk of harm to adults from regular cannabis use was lowest among Whites users (Figures 11-12).
In 2023 in the US, cannabis was perceived to be widely available and easily accessible with 66.2% of residents aged 12 or older reporting that they believed it would be fairly or very easy (easy) for them to obtain it for themselves (Figure 13).
In 2023 in the US, perceived easy access to cannabis was highest among young adults aged 18-25 (73.0%), followed by adults aged 26+ (68.3%).
A large proportion of youth aged 12-17 years (39.1%) perceived it would be fairly or very easy for them to get cannabis if they wanted some (Figure 14).
In 2023, among youth aged 12-17 in the US, 39.9% of females and 38.4% of males perceived it would be easy to access cannabis (Figure 15).
In 2023, among youth aged 12-17 years in the US, Latinxs (41.9%) were the most likely to perceive easy access to cannabis, followed by those identifying as multi-race (41.1%), Whites (40.4%), Blacks (32.5%), Asians (31.2%) and American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIAN, 27.8%) (Figure 16).
Substances are often widely available in LAC neighborhoods. Although there are some restrictions in place, including legal age requirements and zoning restrictions, cannabis is widely perceived to be easily accessible, particularly since there are nearly 2,000 cannabis dispensaries (licensed and illegal) in LAC.
In 2022 in LAC, the majority of both ever users and non-users agreed that it would be somewhat or very easy (easy) for someone to get cannabis on the street around their neighborhood. Cannabis users (86.6%), possibly due to personal experience of obtaining it for their own use, were more likely to believe that cannabis would be easy to obtain on the street around their neighborhood compared to non-users (67.1%) (Figure 17).
In 2022 in LAC, among users across all age groups, a large majority (84.6% – 89.4%) perceived it would be easy for someone to get cannabis on the street around their neighborhood.
Among non-users, over half of all adult age groups 18+ (60.9% – 76.8%) similarly perceived easy access, while youth aged 12-17 years were slightly less likely (49.6%) (Figure 18).
In 2022 in LAC, among both non-users and users, the majority of females and males similarly perceived easy access for someone to get cannabis on the street around their neighborhood (Figure 19).
In 2022 in LAC, among users, American Indian/Alaska Natives (AIAN, 95.5.%) were most likely to perceive easy access to cannabis on the street around their neighborhood, followed by Blacks (89.7%), Latinxs (87.4%), those identifying as multi-racial/ethnic (83.9%), Asians (82.8%), and Whites (81.7%).
Among non-users, Latinxs (69.8%) were most likely to perceive easy access, followed by Blacks (68.1%), Whites (63.1%), AIAN (61.7%), those identifying as multi-racial/ethnic (52.0%), then Asians (42.4%) (Figure 20).
In 2023 in the US, a large majority of youth aged 12-17 years perceived that their parents would strongly disapprove of them for trying cannabis once or twice (82.7%) or for using cannabis once a month or more (85.5%).
Likewise, a large majority perceived that their close friends would disapprove of them for trying cannabis once or twice (79.1%) or using cannabis once a month or more (80.4%) (Figure 21).
When asked about their feelings towards someone their age (peer) trying or using cannabis, over three-quarters of youth aged 12-17 years disapproved of both their peers trying cannabis once or twice (79.1%) or their peers using cannabis once a month or more (79.6%).
In 2022 in LAC, nearly two-thirds (60.6%) perceived that their close friends (peers) would disapprove or strongly disapprove (disapprove) of them if they used cannabis. Ever cannabis users (users) were far less likely to perceive peer disapproval of their cannabis use (33.1%) compared to non-users (76.4%) (Figure 22).
In 2022, similar to the overall LAC pattern, non-users of all age groups were more likely to perceive disapproval from close friends (peers) compared to ever users of cannabis.
Youth non-users aged 12-17 (82.1%) were the most likely to perceive peer disapproval for cannabis use compared to non-users in other age groups.
Among cannabis users, those aged 40+ years (44.5%) were most likely to perceive peer disapproval, while young adults aged 21-29 (19.2%) years were the least likely to perceive peer disapproval for using cannabis (Figure 23).
In 2022 in LAC, among non-users, about three-quarters of females (77.6%) and males (74.4%) perceived that their close friends (peers) would disapprove of them if they used cannabis.
Among users, about one-third of females (32.0%) and males (34.2%) perceived their peers would disapprove of them if they used cannabis (Figure 24).
In 2022 in LAC, among non-users, Asians (81.8%) were most likely to perceive their close friends (peers) disapproving of them if they used cannabis, followed by Latinxs (77.8%), Whites (68.0%), those identifying as multi-racial/ethnic (64.2%), Black (61.4%), then American Indian/Alaska Natives (AIAN, 57.7%).
Among users, about one-third of Latinxs (34.1%), Asians (33.8%), Blacks (33.0%), and those identifying as multi-racial/ethnic (32.1%) perceived their peers disapproving of their use of cannabis, while less perceived peer disapproval among Whites (28.1%) and AIAN (25.7%) (Figure 25).
Monitoring the Future (MTF) 2023. https://monitoringthefuture.org/. Retrieved 8/16/2024.
Marijuana Use and Public Perceptions in Los Angeles County: Findings from the 2022 Community Needs Assessment (CNA). Health Outcomes and Data Analytics, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, April 2024. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/sapc/MDU/SpecialReport/Marijuana-Use-and-Public-Perceptions-in-Los-Angeles-County.pdf. Retrieved 4/17/2024.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). What are marijuana’s long-term effects on the brain? December 2019. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-long-term-effects-brain. Retrieved 1/2/2020.
Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): Detailed tables. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-detailed-tables. Data retrieved 8/19/2024.
Miech, R. A., Johnston, L. D., Patrick, M. E., & O’Malley, P. M. (2024). Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on drug use, 1975–2023: Overview and detailed results for secondary school students. Monitoring the Future Monograph Series. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Available at https://monitoringthefuture.org/results/annual-reports/