“Background: As adult nonmedical marijuana use becomes legal in many U.S. states, policymakers have adopted a range of responses to underage marijuana-related behaviors, often emphasizing punitive consequences. The extent to which these approaches align with public preferences remains unclear.

Methods: Data were drawn from an online survey of 1502 U.S. registered voters recruited from a national opt-in online panel. Analyses assessed support for a range of consequences for underage marijuana-related behaviors (i.e., possession, use, sale, and use of false identification), with selected bivariate comparisons across demographic groups.

Results: Respondents supported penalties for using false identification (89%) and selling marijuana (84%); fewer supported penalties for possession (59%) or use (57%). For attempted purchases, parental notification (79%), community service (64%), and drug education (58%) were more commonly endorsed than jail time (18%). Several differences by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and parent status were observed.

Conclusions: Respondents generally expressed greater support for parental notification, community service, and education as a response to underage violations of marijuana laws than for punitive responses. Policies that emphasize supportive, health-oriented responses, alongside stronger adult and industry accountability, may be more consistent with public attitudes and more effective than punitive responses in advancing youth protection goals in legalized contexts.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42640046

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10826084.2026.2722321