Are parents who use cannabis receptive to safe storage interventions and point-of-sale education?

Abstract

Purpose: The provision of cannabis storage devices paired with consumer prevention messages at point-of-sale has been considered by local health agencies to reduce youth access to cannabis in homes with adult cannabis consumers. This project sought to learn about current storage practices, interest in safe storage devices, and acceptability of youth prevention messages among adult consumers with youth at home. Methods: Potential participants responded to a Facebook advertisement and then completed an online survey which identified those who were over 21, used cannabis at least six times in the past six months, had children at home, lived in a target WA state county, and made at least one purchase from a cannabis store. Semi-structured interviews were conducted over Zoom, in May-June 2021. Participants responded to open-ended questions and reacted to existing prevention messages. Thematic analysis was performed by the three authors in two iterations; first initial themes were identified, and a coding framework was developed, then focused coding was conducted using this framework. Results: Sixteen parents ranging in age from 21-50 were interviewed. Most were women (14; 88%), 10 (63%) were White/Caucasian, 3 (19%) Black/African American, and 1 (1%) each Pacific Islander and White/Caucasian, Native American/American Indian, and Black/African American and White/Caucasian. Eleven had children between 2-10 y.o. and six between 11-17 y.o. in the home. Thirteen (81%) used cannabis daily, many for medicinal reasons. Parents described a wide range of storage practices and were supportive of receiving storage devices from retail stores. Health messages were well received when they were simple, depicted parents in a positive light, included relatable images, and emphasized edibles and that children may not know that products contain cannabis. Parents saw the importance of messages focused on brain development and the social consequences of teen use but were wary of messages that encouraged adult cannabis use to be hidden, that suggested that adults should communicate their disapproval of cannabis, or that described cannabis as addictive. Conclusions: Parents who use cannabis expressed concern for their kids and understood that cannabis use can negatively affect child development. While most were willing to store their cannabis out of reach of their children, cannabis was not viewed as being as harmful as other products that they consider a priority to store out of reach of children, such as opioids, alcohol, and guns. Content of health messages can easily be rejected if perceived as judgmental, stigmatizing, or untrue. Most parents trusted that open dialogues with their kids was the most effective prevention, and most were not willing to hide their own use.