Risk perception refers to how individuals view the potential harms associated with cannabis use, which can influence their decisions about whether and how often to use it. As legalization and availability of cannabis have expanded, perceptions of risk have generally declined, even as scientific evidence continues to highlight potential adverse health impacts of cannabis use. Understanding these perceptions is critical for shaping effective public health approaches that promote informed decision-making and reduce cannabis-related harms, particularly among youth and young adults.
Overall, the perception of great risk of harm from smoking cannabis once or twice per week among Californians aged 12 and older decreased from 35% in 2015-2016 to 28% in 2022-2023.
Cannabis risk perception data for California was obtained from the 2015-2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2-Year Restricted-Use Data. NSDUH is an annual face-to-face and web-based survey representative of persons aged 12 and older in the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and in each state.
Risk perception was measured by asking respondents “how much do people risk harming themselves physically and in other ways when they smoke marijuana once or twice a week?"
Cannabis use is defined as “use of marijuana or cannabis products, sometimes called pot, weed, hashish, or concentrates." Use of CBD or hemp products is excluded.
Current cannabis use is defined as use within the past 30 days.
Prevalence estimates obtained from NSDUH do not distinguish between type of psychoactive cannabinoid (e.g., delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, delta-8-tetrahydracannabinol), potency, or source of cannabis (e.g., legal, illicit). Thus, prevalence estimates can only be applied to “cannabis" as a whole.
When analyzing the NSDUH 2-Year Restricted-Use Data, Asian and Pacific Islander ethnicities are collapsed into two aggregate categories: Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander to align with data de-identification best practices and maintain individual privacy.
The NSDUH 2-Year Restricted-Use Data does not include measures of gender identity.