--- title: Marijuana: Children of Strict Parents Are More Likely to Smoke Pot description: A study conducted throughout six European countries reveals that children who have strict parents are more likely to abuse drugs. canonical: https://time.com/2863028/strict-parents-kids-drugs/ author: Melissa Hellmann article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-12T09:19:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:27.606Z og:title: Marijuana: Children of Strict Parents Are More Likely to Smoke Pot og:description: A study conducted throughout six European countries reveals that children who have strict parents are more likely to abuse drugs. og:url: https://time.com/2863028/strict-parents-kids-drugs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79a873b82fab6e64/6986973d35ba6f2eb3c028a5/454601963.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5221 og:image:height: 2937 og:image:alt: 454601963 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marijuana: Children of Strict Parents Are More Likely to Smoke Pot twitter:description: A study conducted throughout six European countries reveals that children who have strict parents are more likely to abuse drugs. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79a873b82fab6e64/6986973d35ba6f2eb3c028a5/454601963.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # If You're a Strict Parent, Your Kid Is More Likely to Smoke Pot > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays to 40,000 subscribers as of August 2026. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Inside A Christian Pot Shop [Watch (HLS stream): Inside A Christian Pot Shop](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vz4fpqkC.m3u8) (5:22)  _Published 2014-04-03. Bryan and Lanette Davies run a Christian medical marijuana dispensary in Sacramento. After God told Bryan to open a cannabis shop, the couple say they have been doing God's work in providing natural care to the sick._ by [Melissa Hellmann](https://time.com/author/melissa-hellmann/) ## Melissa Hellmann Jun 12, 2014 9:19 AM UTC  Marijuana buds for sale Marijuana buds for sale Getty Images by [Melissa Hellmann](https://time.com/author/melissa-hellmann/) ## Melissa Hellmann Jun 12, 2014 9:19 AM UTC A study [conducted](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140611102203.htm) in six European countries reveals that children who have strict parents are more likely to smoke cannabis, as well as use tobacco and alcohol. The team, led by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention, observed the relationships between parents and their children in Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, the U.K., Slovenia and Portugal to determine what parenting style best prevents drug usage. Over 7,000 adolescents between 11 and 19 years old were asked if their parents had a more controlling or lenient parental style. The study found that parents who reasoned with their children were most effective in persuading their kids to abstain from drugs. “Our results support the idea that extremes are not effective: neither authoritarianism nor absence of control and affection,” Amador Calafat, the main author of the study, told the journal _Drug and Alcohol Dependence._ Calafat noted that different styles of parenting are helpful in varying situations: when dealing with a child’s school performance, parents who assert low levels of control are the most effective. 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