The survey of around 5,000 teens in the West of Ireland found drug use was higher in those who stay out later and have fewer rules imposed by parents.
The study by University College Cork and the HSE also found nearly one in 5 have tried the drug, with almost a tenth using cannabis in the last month.
4,897 adolescents from across 81 secondary schools and 10 Youthreach Centres throughout Galway, Mayo and Roscommon participated in the anonymous Planet Youth 2020 – Growing Up in the West survey.
Dr Peter Barrett, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at UCC, says busy teens were less likely to use cannabis:
"Those who had some structured extracurricular activities has about a 50 per cent lower risk of having used cannabis. It was almost irrespective of the activity whether it was sports, arts or music, volunteering work. We found that just having structure around your free time was protective against cannabis use."
Less parental monitoring was also a factor for those who had taken the drug.
Dr Barrett added more parental protection is important for health reasons too:
"We know that if you start using cannabis at an earlier age, your risk of long term problems form that goes up. So preventing or delaying the onset is protective so more parental monitoring is protective for this age group."
The study also highlighted the importance of having a range of extracurricular activities to choose from in rural areas.
