Emerging Adult Perceptions of Cannabis Use Based on Age and Sex of User

Abstract

In Canada, emerging adults consume more cannabis than any other age-group. This study examined emerging adults’ perceptions of dangerousness, perceptions of negative impacts, and level of disapproval associated with regular cannabis use. An experimental vignette design was utilized to examine the extent to which perceptions differ depending on the age and sex of the user. Participants (N = 656) were randomly assigned to one of six vignettes and were asked to rate 7 items of perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval. Significant main effects of age were found on 6 of 7 items, where cannabis use by a 14-year-old was viewed as more dangerous than cannabis use by a 21- and 28-year-old. However, cannabis use by a 21-year-old was not viewed as more dangerous than cannabis use by a 28-year-old. Female cannabis use was perceived as more dangerous than male cannabis use with respect to social life.

Keywords

substance use/abuse cannabis use perceived dangerousness/harm/risk adolescents emerging adults

In October 2018, recreational use of cannabis became legal in Canada. One concern pertaining to legalization has been that it will cause many adolescents and emerging adults in Canada to perceive cannabis as a “safe” drug of choice, which could, in turn, contribute to an increase in cannabis use and mental and physical health harms related to cannabis use within this population (Hall & Lynskey, 2016; Hopfer, 2014). The purpose of the current study was to examine the nature of emerging adult perceptions of the dangers and negative impacts of cannabis use and examine the extent to which perceptions differ across cannabis users’ age and sex.

Prevalence and Harms of Cannabis Use

Cannabis use rates in adolescent (15–19 years) and emerging adult (20–24 years) populations are among the highest in Canada with a 3-month prevalence rate of 30% compared to 16% among people over the age of 25 (Statistics Canada, 2019). While the majority of individuals who use cannabis do not experience significant cannabis use–related harms, for some individuals, cannabis use can have significant harms on cognitive, social, psychological, and legal functioning; adolescents and emerging adults who report using cannabis regularly are among the most vulnerable to experience these outcomes (e.g., Nina et al., 2018; Scott et al., 2018; Veen et al., 2004). For example, regular cannabis use by adolescents and emerging adults aged 14–29 years has been found to interfere with processes underlying brain maturation and negatively impact cognitive functioning, especially learning and memory (Battistella et al., 2014; Scott et al., 2018; Takagi et al., 2011). Regular cannabis use is also associated with an increased risk of psychological harm and development of mental illness. For example, some research has found an association between regular cannabis use and increased anxiety in emerging adults (Bonn-Miller et al., 2005), as well as greater risk of anxiety-related problems such as panic attacks (Zvolensky et al., 2006). Furthermore, compared to nonusers, risk of developing psychosis is 4 times greater among heavy cannabis users and 2 times greater among average cannabis users (Marconi et al., 2016). As well, cannabis use may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia in adolescence and emerging adulthood (Arseneault et al., 2002; Veen et al., 2004). For some individuals, regular cannabis use may also progress into the development of a cannabis use disorder (CUD). As identified by the American Psychiatric Association (2013), an individual with CUD must experience at least 2 of 11 symptoms (e.g., loss of control or an inability to reduce cannabis use despite attempts to do so; persistent cravings, desires, or urges to use cannabis) within a 12-month period that contribute to clinically significant levels of distress and impairment in functioning. Prevalence rates of CUD are particularly high among adolescents and emerging adults, with the highest rates in those aged 18–29 years and an average age of onset of 22 years (Hasin et al., 2016; Richter et al., 2017). Another threat posed by cannabis use is impaired driving. Using cannabis before driving significantly delays response times and can impair the ability to perform complex driving tasks (Ogourtsova et al., 2018). However, among individuals 15–24 years, 13.9% of respondents reported driving within 2 hr after using cannabis (Statistics Canada, 2019).

Despite the increased risk of harms associated with regular cannabis use in adolescents and emerging adults, some misconceptions about cannabis use have been found within these populations. For example, many Canadian youth believe that cannabis is not addictive or harmful and that it is acceptable for a designated driver to smoke cannabis because it is less intoxicating than alcohol (McKiernan & Fleming, 2017). Furthermore, research conducted in the United States has shown that perceived risk associated with regular cannabis use has decreased significantly since 2002 and that this finding is most prominent among those aged 18–25 years (Pacek et al., 2015). It is important to further study emerging adult perceptions of the harms associated with recreational cannabis use, especially within the Canadian context of legalization, as this demographic has been identified to be among the most frequent and vulnerable cannabis users.

Age of Cannabis User and Perceived Harms Associated With Use

As compared to adults older than 25 years, research has demonstrated increased risks and harms associated with cannabis use in not only adolescent but also emerging adult populations. However, research suggests that many emerging adults may not have accurate perceptions of the risks and harms associated with cannabis use by users within their age cohort. For example, Pearson et al. (2017) found that despite many emerging adult cannabis users reporting negative consequences associated with their use (e.g., socially, academically, self-perception), many of them remained in favor of legalized recreational cannabis and reported that using cannabis was safer than consuming alcohol. Similarly, research has found that emerging adults report cannabis as more socially acceptable (i.e., hold positive perceptions of cannabis use), less harmful, and less addictive than tobacco products (Berg et al., 2015). These findings suggest that at least compared to other substances, emerging adults do not perceive cannabis use as concerning, despite being within a stage of development shown to be particularly vulnerable to cannabis use–related harms. Moreover, given the apparent normalization of regular recreational cannabis use in emerging adults (Schulenberg et al., 2017), and the perceptions of minimal consequences associated with such use, it is likely that emerging adults under 25 years do not see their cannabis use as any more concerning than regular use among adults older than 25 years.

In contrast to emerging adulthood, it appears that cannabis use tends to be more frequently presented as detrimental to adolescent health and development. For example, the Federal Government of Canada has published a wide range of resources for parents outlining the negative consequences of cannabis use in adolescence, emphasizing the need to prevent young people under 18 years from using cannabis (Government of Canada, 2019). As such, it is within reason to propose that many individuals, including emerging adults, would likely perceive adolescent cannabis use to be more concerning than use in emerging adult and adult populations. In fact, this proposition is in line with research suggesting that adults are more likely to disapprove of adolescent substance use than fellow-adult substance use (Musick et al., 2008), likely because they view adolescents as a more vulnerable population and may be more likely to downplay use among themselves and other adults.

Sex of Cannabis User and Perceived Harms Associated With Use

To date, there appears to have been limited research conducted that can provide insight into how perceived harms of cannabis use may change depending on the sex of the individual using cannabis. However, findings from a few studies suggest that there may be greater perceived harms for cannabis use among females compared to cannabis use among males. For example, in a qualitative study examining health provider perspectives of female substance use, it was found that in general, female substance use is viewed as less acceptable (Kirtadze et al., 2013). In this study, health providers expressed that female substance users were more likely to fail to adequately fulfill their roles as good mothers, wives, and children. Furthermore, research on female alcohol use highlights the influence of gender roles and social norms on public perceptions of female substance use (e.g., Hussman & Goldstein, 2019). Specifically, alcohol use has been traditionally viewed as an expression of masculinity (Lemle & Mishkind, 1989). In contrast, females have been discouraged from using alcohol and instead expected to display warmth and concern for others (Hussman & Goldstein, 2019). Due to these findings, it is possible that similar trends in cannabis use exist, such that female cannabis use may be viewed as more dangerous and less socially acceptable than male cannabis use.

The Current Study

The use of recreational cannabis is newly legal in Canada. Adolescents and emerging adults are a particularly vulnerable group to cannabis use–related harms; however, previous research suggests that these individuals may hold misconceptions about cannabis use (McKiernan & Fleming, 2017). It is important to further study emerging adult perceptions of the harms associated with recreational cannabis use, particularly within the context of the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, as such findings may help inform cannabis use prevention efforts within this population.

The purpose of this study was to examine Canadian emerging adults’ (18– 25 years) perceptions of dangerousness, perceptions of negative impacts (on mental health, social life, cognitive health, and brain development), and level of disapproval associated with regular cannabis use. An experimental vignette design was utilized to examine the extent to which emerging adults’ perceptions differ depending on the age (14, 21, or 28 years) and sex (male or female) of the cannabis user. First, based on the normalization of cannabis use among emerging adults (Schulenberg et al., 2017), along with previous research that suggests emerging adults are more likely to disapprove of adolescent substance use than fellow-adult substance use (Musick et al., 2008), it was hypothesized that emerging adult respondents would view regular cannabis use by a 14-year-old as more negative (more dangerous, as having more negative impacts, and more disapproving of) than use by a 21-year-old and 28-year-old. Second, based on research that suggests female substance use is viewed as less acceptable and that it may negatively impact their ability to meet female gender role expectations (Hussman & Goldstein, 2019), it was hypothesized that respondents would view regular cannabis use by a female as more negative.

Method

Participants

Individuals who self-identified as being between the ages 18 and 25 years were eligible to participate in this study. The survey was open for participation between August and October 2018, closing just prior to the legalization of cannabis on October 17, 2018. Six hundred fifty-six participants between the ages of 18 and 25 years (M = 21.24, SD = 2.31) completed this study. The majority of participants identified as female (72.4%, n = 470), followed by male (26.5%, n = 174), and nonbinary (0.2%, n = 1). Participants identified as Caucasian/White (92.5%, n = 607), followed by Asian (2.4%; n = 16), Indigenous (2.1%, n = 14), East Indian (1.8%, n = 12), Hispanic/Latino (1.2%, n = 8), African Canadian/Black (1.2%; n = 8), Middle Eastern (0.6%, n = 4), and six individuals (0.9%) self-identified as “other.” The majority of participants had used cannabis (72.1%), and the average age of first-time cannabis use was 16.75 years. Among all participants, the average CUD Identifications Test (CUDIT) score was 3.142 (range: 0–38). When asked “how many years of education in total have you completed? (including primary, secondary, high school, college, post-secondary, post-graduate),” participant responses ranged from 10 to 21 years, with an average of 15.75 years completed. Participants were not asked whether they were currently a student; therefore, the percentage of students that completed the survey is unknown. However, given that recruitment was primarily completed on a university campus, it is likely that there was a very high percentage of students in this sample.

Procedure

Participants were recruited through social media sites such as Facebook and distribution of quick response (QR) codes in several public university locations (e.g., University food courts and libraries). Each recruitment method included a brief description of the research, a link to the survey (via www.qualtrics.com), and a link for the participant to enter in a draw for a $50 CAD gift card. Participants opened the survey link and were presented with an informed consent form. Participants were then randomly assigned to read one of six brief vignettes that depicted a character named John or Jane outlining their frequency of cannabis use. The information in each vignette remained constant except for the two independent variables, including the age of the character (14 years vs. 21 years vs. 28 years) and the sex of the character (male vs. female). The vignette read as follows: “Jane is a 14-year-old female who lives in your community. Jane uses cannabis almost daily.” After reading the vignette, the participant completed a series of questionnaires: (1) 7 single items on perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts (on mental health, social life, cognitive health, and brain development), and level of disapproval of the vignette character’s cannabis use; (2) a question on whether the participant had used cannabis before; (3) the CUDIT Questionnaire; and (4) a demographic survey. Participants only completed the CUDIT Questionnaire if they responded “yes” to having previously used cannabis. After completing the survey, participants were presented with a debriefing form. Most participants took between 10 and 15 min to complete the study. This study was approved by the research ethics board.

Vignettes

Researchers use vignettes to standardize social stimuli across study participants and create more realistic decision making (Alexander & Becker, 1978). Vignettes are one of the most common methods used to empirically study public attitudes, as they enable the presentation of comprehensive and detailed stimuli (Link et al., 2004). Moreover, research has shown that asking participants questions about a particular individual with a mental health problem provides a more sensitive measure of attitudes compared to asking more general mental health questions (Corrigan et al., 1999). Vignettes in the current study were modeled after Corrigan and Watson (2007), as their research established a template for subsequent studies where a very brief description of the character includes information on age, sex, and mental illness/substance use problem (e.g., Nabors et al., 2012).

Measures

Perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval

A series of items were developed for this study as presently, there is not a measure that assesses perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval of cannabis use. In order to help establish a content valid measure, these items were developed based on the recommendations from a literature review by Danseco et al. (1999). In this review, the authors highlighted the gap in research on perceived dangerousness and cannabis use through multiple dimensions (e.g., physical harm, social consequences, psychological harm, and brain development). Seven items were developed and utilized in the current study, each with five anchors ranging from 0 to 4. The first item pertained to overall perceived dangerousness of cannabis use (0 = not at all dangerous, 4 = extremely dangerous); Items 2–4 pertained to impact on mental health, social life, and cognitive health (0 = very negative impact, 2 = no impact, 4 = very positive impact); and Items 5–7 pertained to impact on brain development, cannabis use as a problem in general, and the level of disapproval toward cannabis use (0 = not at all, 4 = an extreme amount). Based on the Likert-type scale options for mental health, social life, and cognitive health, these items were reverse coded prior to any analyses. In the current sample, the Cronbach’s α was .82 for these 7 items.

CUD Identifications Test (CUDIT)

The CUDIT contains 10 questions which evaluate participants’ frequency of cannabis use, ability to function without cannabis, consequences experienced, and ability to stop usage (Adamson & Sellman, 2003). This measure has good internal consistency, with reported Cronbach’s α of .72 (Annaheim et al., 2008). In the current sample, the Cronbach’s α was .83.

Data Analysis

After the completion of data collection, descriptive statistics, found in Table 1, were analyzed to characterize the sample by demographic variables and scores on standardized measures. Additionally, the demographic variables and CUDIT scores of the six groups (divided based on vignette presented) were compared to examine whether there were any preexisting group differences on these variables. A series of χ²s and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed that there were no group differences on demographic variables examined, including age, gender, ethnicity, relationship status, and number of years having attended school, nor did the groups differ in terms of severity of cannabis use problems as measured by the CUDIT. A series of ANOVAs were then conducted to analyze (1) the main effect of age of the vignette character, (2) the main effect of sex of the vignette character, and (3) the vignette character age by vignette character sex interaction, on the dependent variable of perceptions of cannabis use. Overall, seven ANOVAs were conducted to examine the independent variable effects on (1) overall perceived dangerousness of cannabis use; negative impacts on (2) mental health, (3) social life, (4) cognitive health, and (5) brain development; (6) the extent to which the vignette character’s cannabis use is a problem; and (7) disapproval of cannabis use. All statistical analyses were completed using IBM SPSS Statistics Software Version 25.

Table 1.

Descriptive Statistics of Perceived Dangerousness of Cannabis Use Based on Age and Sex of User.

Measure	John						Jane
	14-Year-Old		21-Year-Old		28-Year-Old		14-Year-Old		21-Year-Old		28-Year-Old
	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
Dangerousness of cannabis use	1.82	0.97	1.05	0.86	1.11	0.92	1.92	1.03	1.19	0.92	1.10	0.83
Mental health	2.80	1.01	1.75	1.13	1.87	1.08	2.67	1.04	1.87	1.19	1.85	1.14
Cognitive health	3.07	0.71	2.83	0.79	2.83	0.77	3.02	0.80	2.81	0.77	2.87	0.73
Brain development	2.18	1.10	1.37	0.98	1.28	0.97	2.29	1.06	1.44	1.01	1.23	1.01
Social life	2.12	1.07	2.06	1.09	2.03	0.96	2.85	0.94	2.65	0.89	2.59	0.95
Cannabis use as a problem	2.28	1.08	1.30	1.05	1.23	1.03	2.28	1.01	1.24	1.17	1.37	1.15
Disapproval of cannabis use	1.92	1.28	1.13	1.26	1.15	1.22	2.00	1.12	1.26	1.38	1.18	1.27

Results

Analyses of Frequency of Missing Data

Analyses of frequency of missing data revealed that 65 participants completed at least one question but were missing the majority of data. It seems likely that these individuals clicked on the survey link but decided not to continue participating within the first few questions. These participants were removed from further analyses. An additional participant was removed for indicating that they began using cannabis at the age of 26 when the survey restricted individuals above the age of 25 from participating. When a participant failed to respond to any one item on the CUDIT Scale, the score for the missing item was replaced with the participant’s series mean. However, when a participant failed to respond to more than one item on the CUDIT, their CUDIT score was not calculated, and these participants were excluded from analyses involving this measure.

Primary Analyses

Seven 2 × 3 factorial ANOVAs were conducted to assess emerging adults’ perceptions of cannabis use. Results of the seven ANOVAs are summarized in Table 2 and post hoc analyses in Table 3. Independent variables included the age of the vignette character (14 years old vs. 21 years old vs. 28 years old.) and sex (male vs. female). The dependent variable was perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts (on mental health, social life, cognitive health, and brain development), and level of disapproval, consisting of 7 items developed for the purposes of this study. Levene’s Test of Equality of Variances was significant on all 7 dependent variable items. An α level of .01 was used to correct for multiple analyses and for significant heterogeneity of variances.

Table 2.

ANOVA of Perceived Dangerousness of Cannabis Use Based on Age and Sex of User.

Predictor	Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	p	Partial η²
Dangerousness of cannabis use
Sex	0.95	1	0.95	1.12	.290	.00
Age	80.57	2	40.29	47.53	<.001**	.13
Age × Sex	0.80	2	0.40	0.47	.624	.00
Mental health
Sex	0.01	1	0.01	0.01	.946	.00
Age	114.01	2	57.01	46.99	<.001**	.13
Age × Sex	1.65	2	0.83	0.68	.506	.00
Cognitive health
Sex	0.01	1	0.01	0.02	.880	.00
Age	6.36	2	3.18	5.43	.005*	.02
Age × Sex	0.27	2	0.13	0.23	.795	.00
Brain development
Sex	0.30	1	0.30	0.29	.593	.00
Age	119.54	2	59.77	57.39	<.001	.15
Age × Sex	0.72	2	0.32	0.35	.708	.00
Cannabis use as a problem
Sex	0.13	1	0.13	0.11	.740	.00
Age	140.30	2	70.15	59.68	<.001**	.16
Age × Sex	1.11	2	0.55	0.47	.625	.00
Disapproval of cannabis use
Sex	1.05	1	1.05	0.66	.415	.00
Age	86.10	2	43.05	27.15	<.001**	.08
Age × Sex	0.31	2	0.15	0.10	.907	.00
Social life
Sex	63.83	1	63.83	65.82	<.001**	.09
Age	3.46	2	1.73	1.79	.168	.01
Age × Sex	0.88	2	0.44	0.45	.637	.00

Note. ANOVA = analysis of variance.

*p < .01. **p < .001.

Table 3.

Post Hoc Analysis of Main Effects of Age on Perceived Dangerousness of Cannabis Use.

Predictor	Mean Difference	t	df	p	d
Cannabis use is dangerous
14 and 21 years of age	0.75	8.35	650	<.001**	.79
14 and 28 years of age	0.77	8.66	650	<.001**	.82
21 and 28 years of age	0.02	0.23	650	.822
Negative impact on mental health
14 and 21 years of age	−0.92	8.64	648	<.001**	.85
14 and 28 years of age	−0.87	8.25	648	<.001**	.82
21 and 28 years of age	0.05	−0.49	648	.875
Negative impact on cognitive health
14 and 21 years of age	−0.23	3.04	650	.007*	.29
14 and 28 years of age	−0.20	2.67	650	.021
21 and 28 years of age	0.03	−0.41	650	.911
Negative impact on brain development
14 and 21 years of age	0.840	8.46	650	<.001**	.81
14 and 28 years of age	0.98	10.02	650	<.001**	.95
21 and 28 years of age	0.14	1.50	650	.294
Cannabis use is a problem
14 and 21 years of age	1.01	9.64	648	<.001**	.94
14 and 28 years of age	0.98	9.40	648	<.001**	.92
21 and 28 years of age	−0.03	−0.33	648	.942
Disapproval of cannabis use
14 and 21 years of age	0.77	6.29	647	<.001**	.61
14 and 28 years of age	0.80	6.56	647	<.001**	.61
21 and 28 years of age	0.03	0.22	647	.829

*p < .01. **p < .001.

Results from the seven factorial ANOVAs indicated no significant Age × Sex interactions. A main effect of age above and beyond any effect observed by sex was detected for six of seven factorial ANOVAs. Compared to participants who were presented with the 21- and 28-year old vignettes, participants presented with the vignette of a 14-year-old perceived cannabis use as more dangerous, had higher ratings for negative impacts on mental health and brain development, felt the character’s cannabis use was more problematic, and had greater disapproval of the character’s cannabis use. None of the ratings differed between participants assigned to the 21- and 28-year-old vignette characters. There was also a significant difference for ratings of negative impact of cognitive health between the 14- and 21-year old character but not between any of the characters in the other age groups. Finally, results from one of the seven factorial ANOVAs demonstrated a main effect of sex above and beyond the effect observed by age. Participants assigned the female vignette character (Jane) perceived cannabis use as having a more negative impact on her social life than participants assigned the male vignette character (John).

Discussion

The purpose of the current study was to examine emerging adults’ perceptions of regular cannabis use and whether perceptions changed depending on the age and sex of the cannabis user. Findings showed a main effect of age on all items of perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval except the item assessing perceived negative impacts on social life. A main effect of sex was only found on the social life item. This was the first study to have implemented an experimental vignette design to evaluate perceptions of cannabis use in emerging adults and to examine how age and sex of the cannabis user may impact these perceptions.

Perceived Harms Based on Age

The results of this study indicate that participants perceived 14-year-old “almost daily” cannabis use as more concerning than 21- and 28-year old cannabis use. These findings are encouraging as they suggest that participants may understand adolescents (i.e., 14-year-old) to be a more vulnerable group to experiencing negative consequences associated with cannabis use.

However, results showed no differences between participants’ level of concern for a 21-year-old’s use as compared to a 28-year-old’s use, on the 6 items of perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval that had a main effect of age. On each of these 6 items, means were almost identical between the two groups. These null findings are important to consider because many of the vulnerabilities experienced by adolescent cannabis users, such as brain development, cognitive health, and mental health, are also experienced by emerging adult cannabis users up to the age of 25 years (e.g., Nina et al., 2018; Scott et al., 2018; Veen et al., 2004). In fact, recreational cannabis legalization stakeholder meetings, held by several provincial governments of Canada prior to legalization, identified multiple concerns about legalizing cannabis for individuals under the age of 25 years (e.g., Government of Canada, 2018; Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2017; Government of Nova Scotia, n.d.). These concerns pertained mostly to the growing body of research on emerging adult brain development and the notion that similarly to adolescents, cannabis use can alter the structure of the brain and cognitive abilities of those up to 25 years old (Camchong et al., 2017; Nina et al., 2018). Despite the evidence to suggest that many emerging adults up to 25 years of age are still highly vulnerable to the effects of regular cannabis use, current findings suggest that emerging adults aged 18–25 years may not fully appreciate the potential harms associated with regular cannabis use in their age cohort. Given that emerging adults are among the highest consumers of cannabis in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2019), it is important that effective psychoeducational resources on cannabis-related harms in this population be accessible.

There are several factors that may have contributed to the current findings pertaining to the effect of age of the regular cannabis user on perceived harms and level of disapproval. First, it is possible that the legal age to purchase and possess cannabis influenced our findings. Since the age of legal consumption is 19 years in most Canadian provinces, a 14-year-old’s cannabis use may be perceived as more harmful as it is illegal. In contrast, cannabis use by a 21- and 28-year-old may not have been perceived as particularly concerning because it is legal. Second, previous research suggests that adults are more likely to disapprove of adolescent substance use than fellow-adult substance use (Musick et al., 2008). In our study, participants were of emerging adult age and, thus, may have been more likely to approve of regular cannabis use by a fellow emerging adult. Third, cannabis use norms among emerging adults may help explain our findings. Given that emerging adults have norms of binge drinking and cannabis use, particularly in college and university settings (Keith et al., 2015), perhaps it is not surprising that participant perceptions did not reflect the potential dangers of regular cannabis use by a 21-year-old.

Perceived Harms Based on Sex

Cannabis use by the female character was perceived to have more negative impact on social life than cannabis use by the male character. This suggests that respondents viewed cannabis use by a female as having more negative implications on their relationships and interactions with peers (e.g., time spent engaging in enjoyable activities with others). One possible explanation for this finding has to do with traditional gender roles and social expectations of women with respect to substance use. As previously discussed, research on gender roles and alcohol consumption has highlighted that alcohol use is viewed as an expression of masculinity (Lemle & Mishkind, 1989), whereas females are discouraged from using alcohol and instead expected to display warmth and concern for others (Hussman & Goldstein, 2019). These cultural expectations shape social behaviors and, in turn, continue to influence gender norms (Holmila & Raitasalo, 2005). Participants in this study may have viewed cannabis use as a more “masculine” social activity, and cannabis use by females may have been perceived to violate notions of feminine warmth and maternal abilities.

Limitations and Future Research

It is important to note some limitations present in this study. First, the generalizability of the current findings is limited. It is likely that the strong majority of emerging adults recruited to participate in this study were attending postsecondary education. The perceptions of emerging adults in a university setting may not be representative of those who are not attending college or university. Second, given that no measures of perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval of cannabis use currently exist, single-item measures were developed for this study. These items were developed based on recommendations from the literature (see Danseco et al., 1999), and while they were found to have good internal consistency in the current sample, additional evidence of psychometric properties could not be evaluated. Future research could develop and examine a multidimensional scale to assess the constructs of perceived dangerousness, perceived negative impacts, and level of disapproval of cannabis use.

Conclusion

The current study provides important insights into emerging adults’ perceptions of the harms associated with regular cannabis use. Specifically, emerging adults perceived cannabis use by a 14-year-old adolescent as more concerning than a 21-year-old emerging adult. However, despite research identifying emerging adults as a vulnerable group to negative outcomes associated with regular cannabis use, emerging adults in the current sample did not view a 21-year-old’s cannabis use as any more concerning than a 28-year-old’s use. These findings suggest that emerging adults may not fully appreciate the harms associated with regular cannabis use and the effects it can have on multiple domains of well-being. It is important that appropriate measures be taken to help ensure that emerging adults understand the specific risks associated with regular cannabis use in their age demographic.

Footnotes

Author Contributions

Laura Harris-Lane contributed to conception, design, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation; drafted the manuscript; critically revised the manuscript; gave final approval; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy. Emily Winters contributed to conception, design, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation; drafted the manuscript; critically revised the manuscript; gave final approval; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy. Nick Harris contributed to conception, design, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation; critically revised the manuscript; gave final approval; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Open Practices

Data and materials for this study have not been made publicly available. The design and analysis plans were not preregistered.

ORCID iD

Laura Harris-Lane

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