Cannabis is argued to be the most widely used substance among adolescents across European countries. Cannabis use is already indicated to be associated with adverse effects on one’s psychological functioning and psychopathology but one particularly vulnerable adolescent subgroup is the justice-involved youth, who usually initiate cannabis use at earlier ages compared to their peers. The present study investigated the association between self-control and cannabis use, with impulsivity as a mediator and gender as a moderator. The findings revealed a significant negative association between self-control and cannabis use. Similarly, self-control significantly predicted cannabis use. However, impulsivity was not a significant predictor or a mediator between the self-control and cannabis use link. Similarly, gender was not a significant moderator, meaning that self-control and impulsivity did not differ by gender. The findings reflect the relative importance of enhancing protective factors rather than focusing on risk factors when working with high-risk adolescent groups.