Marijuana use initiation among young adults in the USA: the role of family and peer socialization

A positive social influence is a crucial factor in reducing marijuana smoking during adolescence. Inadequate research has examined the role of family and peer socialization in marijuana use initiation among young Americans. In this study, we examine the association of family and peer influence with marijuana use among young American adults. We used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997, comprising 3278 respondents, to conduct an event-history analysis stratified by sex. The results show that while low monitoring by fathers was associated with higher marijuana use among both sexes, low monitoring by mothers was associated with higher marijuana use among only females. Low family routines levels and higher involvement with peers have shown similar associations among both sexes, with higher odds of marijuana use initiation. Also, low family routine levels were associated with increased marijuana use during adolescence for only males. Socialization processes by parents and peers have crucial implications for substance use initiation among young adults in the USA. Type of family process and peer influence, as well as sex, should be considered in efforts seeking to considerably reduce marijuana use initiation during the transition to adulthood in the USA. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.