Father’s Day is this weekend in the US, and I thought it would be interesting to write a follow up to my Mother’s Day blog post from last month. How do moms and dads compare to each other when it comes to cannabis use? Using our consumer insights data, I found moms and dads using cannabis have some similarities and their key differences lie in what triggers stress.
Differences Between Cannabis Moms & Dads
Cannabis using parents don’t differ significantly on parenting styles except for when it comes to being open about their cannabis usage. While 85% of cannabis parents agree that it is important to be open and honest with their children, only about half of mothers say their kids aware of their cannabis use. But, over 60% of dads say their kids are aware that they use weed. We know in the general population men are more likely to be frequent users of cannabis than women, but cannabis using moms and dads are equally likely to be daily users. However, dads are more likely to have used consistently throughout their lives than moms (59% vs. 42%), so cannabis may be a bigger part of their identity and something they’d want to share with their children.
What stresses out cannabis-using dads?
Weed moms and dads also have different stressors. As I mentioned last month, cannabis-using moms list their children as their biggest stressor, followed by lack of sleep and illness or injury. However, 42% of fathers listed money as one of their biggest stressors, followed by work (31%), and then lack of sleep (22%). Only 18% listed their children as one of their top 3 stressors. This discrepancy is likely due to the fact that even though women with children are more likely to remain in the workforce now than in the past, they are still shouldering the majority of the emotional labor within their families, including child rearing. On the other hand, these traditional gender roles also place more pressure on men to be the breadwinner of their family, which helps explain why money and work cause more stress for cannabis using dads.
This Father’s Day, consider starting a conversation with your dad or other father figure in your life about their cannabis usage (currently or in the past). Be sure to check in with a phone call, or if you’re able to celebrate in person, let your dad take a nap on the hammock while you help make dinner (which is what I’ll be doing on Sunday).
Last Updated: 6/17/2020