Ellen Komp forwards a story by Andrew Sheeler of the Sacramento Bee with an incisive analysis:

Typical story that changes dramatically once you go beyond the headline: alcohol users reported the same results, and 92 percent of the marijuana users surveyed also reported drinking. The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The authors conclude “We suggest that addiction professionals should consider partnering with a specialist in child development or child welfare to conduct in-depth assessments of parenting strategies among the highest-risk groups, such as those with past-year alcohol use or a history of polysubstance use or methamphetamine use.” (They did not mention marijuana.)

The study has been published in a peer-reviewed journal and can now be cited by America’s helping professionals as grounds for intruding on marijuana-using parents. 

Here’s Sheeler’s Sac Bee piece, which was posted July 18 hedded “Parents using marijuana are more likely to discipline, abuse children, study says.”

Stereotypes aside, marijuana use doesn’t make parents “chill,” according to a newly published study.

In fact, research from Ohio State University — published in Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions — shows that parents who use cannabis “administered more discipline techniques of all kinds to their children on average than did non-users,” according to a statement from the university.

“That includes everything from timeouts to, in some cases, physical abuse,” the statement added.

Researchers interviewed by telephone 3,023 Californian parents of children 12 or younger. Parents were asked about both their current and recent drug use and how often they discipline their children by either violent or non-violent methods.

“The findings revealed that parents who used marijuana in the past year tended to use more of all types of discipline compared to non-users, even after taking into account a variety of other factors that could impact use of discipline, such as parental stress and depression and child and parent demographics,” according to the statement.

The study found that the same held true for parents who consumed alcohol, and that 92 percent of marijuana users surveyed also reported drinking.

“It appears that users may be quicker than other parents to react to minor misbehavior,” co-author Bridget Freisthler said in a statement. “We can’t tell from this study, but it may be that parents who use marijuana or alcohol don’t want their children to spoil the buzz they have, or bother them when they have a hangover.”

The study also found that those who previously used marijuana or alcohol, but who were not currently, were more likely to resort to disciplining their children. [So it isn’t about killing the buzz, it seems. -EK] And the more substances that parents use, the more likely they are to over-discipline.

“The use of several different kinds of substances certainly is a warning sign that parents may be relying more heavily on discipline to control their children,” Freisthler said.

The report, which was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, shows a need for caution in states, like California, where marijuana is legal, Freisthler said.

“Marijuana use is not risk-free. It affects a lot of behaviors, including parenting,” she said.