Why pot-smoking declines, but doesn't end, with parenthood
The influence of a significant other and positive attitudes toward the drug overall, in addition to the onset of parenthood, also are factors in whether someone uses marijuana. It's a changing landscape for marijuana use, as laws ease and cultural acceptance grows -- in Washington state and elsewhere around the country. Against that backdrop, the study by the University of Washington's Social Development Research Group ( SDRG ) aims to present information about marijuana use among parents and nonparents alike. "When it comes to adults, we don't know long-term consequences of moderate marijuana use in the legal context, so that we cannot say that we absolutely must intervene," explained Marina Epstein, a UW research scientist and lead author of the study. "However, when it comes to parents, their use is strongly related to their children's marijuana use, and that is a significant problem, since adolescent marijuana use can be harmful. Our study wante...