The Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
Chapter IV
social response to marihuana use
The Family
The most important institution for instilling social norms is the family. Parental
attitudes generally parallel public opinion, and specific responses in our National Survey
suggest an inclination among parents and non-parents to deal with youthful marihuana users
through discussion and persuasion rather than harsh or punitive measures. When asked what
action they would take upon discovering that one of their teenage children was smoking
marihuana with friends, 47% of the adults responded that they would use persuasion and
reason. Twenty-three percent favored a punitive approach. Interestingly, 9% of the latter
group felt so strongly about the matter that they were willing to report their own child
to the police. A considerable number, 35% indicated that they were uncertain about what to
do, or failed to respond to this multiple response question.
The non-punitive trend was also apparent when the adults were asked what they would do
if their teenage child was arrested for a marihuana offense. A substantial number (58%)
indicated they would attempt to extricate their child from the situation, many not wishing
their child to have a police record, while 34% expressed the sentiment that the child's
arrest would help him learn a lesson.
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