Top

Published in:

01-02-2019

Marijuana Promotion Online: an Investigation of Dispensary Practices

Authors: Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg, Melissa J. Krauss, Elizabeth Cahn, Kiriam Escobar Lee, Erin Ferguson, Biva Rajbhandari, Shaina J. Sowles, Glennon M. Floyd, Carla Berg, Laura J. Bierut

Published in: Prevention Science | Issue 2/2019

Abstract

Marijuana product advertising will become more common, as the use of medical and/or recreational marijuana becomes increasingly legal in the USA. In this study, we investigate the marketing tactics being used on marijuana dispensary websites in the USA that could influence substance use behaviors. One hundred dispensary websites were randomly selected from 10 states that allowed the legal use of medical or recreational marijuana and had at least 10 operational dispensaries. Three dispensaries were excluded due to non-functioning websites, leaving a sample of 97 dispensaries. Content analysis was conducted on these dispensaries’ websites, with the primary areas of focus including website age verification, marijuana effects, warnings, and promotional tactics. Among the 97 dispensaries, 75% did not include age verification. Roughly 30% offered online ordering and 21% offered delivery services. Sixty-seven percent made health claims pertaining to medical conditions that could be treated by their marijuana products, with moderate or conclusive evidence to support their claims. Less than half of the dispensaries (45%) advised consumers of possible side effects, and only 18% included warnings about contraindications. Nearly half (44%) offered reduced prices or coupons, 19% offered “buy one get one free” offers, and 16% provided giveaways or free samples. Our findings indicate that marijuana dispensary websites are easily accessible to youth. In addition, only a small amount of the websites advised consumers about possible side effects or contraindications. This study suggests the need for surveillance of marijuana commercialization and online advertising especially in the context of state policy reforms.

Available only for authorised users

Altman, D. G., Schooler, C., & Basil, M. D. (1991). Alcohol and cigarette advertising on billboards. Health Education Research, 6(4), 487–490.CrossRef

Altman, D. G., Levine, D. W., Coeytaux, R., Slade, J., & Jaffe, R. (1996). Tobacco promotion and susceptibility to tobacco use among adolescents aged 12 through 17 years in a nationally representative sample. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 1590–1593.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Alvaro, E. M., Crano, W. D., Siegel, J. T., Hohman, Z., Johnson, I., & Nakawaki, B. (2013). Adolescents’ attitudes toward antimarijuana ads, usage intentions, and actual marijuana usage. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(4), 1027–1035.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Anderson, P., de Bruijn, A., Angus, K., Gordon, R., & Hastings, G. (2009). Impact of alcohol advertising and media exposure on adolescent alcohol use: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 44(3), 229–243.CrossRefPubMed

Babor, T. B. K., Jernigan, D., & Tumwesigye, N. (2013). Statement of concern: The International Public Health Community responds to the Global Alcohol Producers’ attempts to implement the WHO Global Strategy on the harmful use of alcohol. London: Global Alcohol Policy Alliance Retrived from http://globalgapa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WHO-Statement-of-Concern-2013.pdf.

Batalla, A., Bhattacharyya, S., Yücel, M., Fusar-Poli, P., Crippa, J. A., Nogué, S., et al. (2013). Structural and functional imaging studies in chronic cannabis users: A systematic review of adolescent and adult findings. PLoS One, 8, e55821.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Bierut, T., Krauss, M. J., Sowles, S. J., & Cavazos-Rehg, P. A. (2017). Exploring marijuana advertising on Weedmaps, a popular online directory. Prevention Science, 18, 183–192.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Brown-Johnson, C. G., England, L. J., Glantz, S. A., & Ling, P. M. (2014). Tobacco industry marketing to low socioeconomic status women in the USA. Tobacco Control, 23, e139-e146.CrossRef

Cavazos-Rehg, P. A., Krauss, M. J., Sowles, S. J., Murphy, G. M., & Bierut, L. J. (2017). Exposure to and content of marijuana product reviews. Prevention Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-017-0818-9.

Colorado Department of Revenue. (2013). Permanent rules related to the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code. Marijuana Enforcement Division (1 CCR 212–2). Retrived from https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Retail%20Marijuana%20Rules,%20Adopted%20090913,%20Effective%20101513%5B1%5D_0.pdf

D’Amico, E. J., Miles, J. V., & Tucker, J. S. (2015). Gateway to curiosity: Medical marijuana ads and intention and use during middle school. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 29, 613–619.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Feeney, K. E., & Kampman, K. M. (2016). Adverse effects of marijuana use. The Linacre Quarterly, 83, 174–178.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Education Today, 24(2), 105–112.CrossRefPubMed

Grier, S. A., & Kumanyika, S. (2010). Targeted marketing and public health. Annual Review of Public Health, 31, 349–369.CrossRefPubMed

Grube, J. W. (2004). Alcohol in the media: Drinking portrayals, alcohol advertising, and alcohol consumption among youth. In: Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking, R. J. Bonnie & M. E. O'Connell (Eds.), Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Hall, W., & Degenhardt, L. (2014). The adverse health effects of chronic cannabis use. Drug Testing and Analysis, 6, 39–45.CrossRefPubMed

Harris, P., Taylor, R., Thielke, R., Payne, J., Gonzalez, N., Conde, J., et al. (2009). Research electronic data capture (REDCap)—a metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 42, 377–381.CrossRefPubMed

Hirono, K. T., & Smith, K. E. (2017). Australia’s $40 per pack cigarette tax plans: The need to consider equity. Tobacco Control.

Jenssen, B. P., Klein, J. D., Salazar, L. F., Daluga, N. A., & Diclemente, R. J. (2009). Exposure to tobacco on the internet: Content analysis of adolescents’ internet use. Pediatrics, 124(2), e180-e186.CrossRef

Jones, S. C., Thom, J. A., Davoren, S., & Barrie, L. (2014). Internet filters and entry pages do not protect children from online alcohol marketing. J Public Health Pol., 35, 75–90.CrossRef

Kaplan, S. (2017). F.D.A. warns companies against claims that marijuana cures disease. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/health/fda-marijuana-false- claims.html

Krauss, M. J., Sowles, S. J., Sehi, A., Spitznagel, E. L., Berg, C. J., Bierut, L. J., & Cavazos-Rehg, P. A. (2017). Marijuana advertising exposure among current marijuana users in the U.S. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 174, 192–200.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Kuo, M., Wechsler, H., Greenberg, P., & Lee, H. (2003). The marketing of alcohol to college students: The role of low prices and special promotions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 25(3), 204–211.CrossRefPubMed

Leafly (2017a). About us. Retrieved from https://www.leafly.com/company/about. Accessed on December 20, 2017.

Leafly (2017b). Marijuana dispensaries. https://www.leafly.com/finder. Accessed on April 27, 2017.

Leafly Staff (2017). State-by-state guide to cannabis advertising regulations. https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/state-by-state-guide-to-cannabis-advertising-regulations/. Accessed on April 27, 2017.

McClure, A. C., Dal Cin, S., Gibson, J., & Sargent, J. D. (2006). Ownership of alcohol-branded merchandise and initiation of teen drinking. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 30(4), 277–283.CrossRefPubMed

Nash, V., O'Connell, R., Zevenbergen, B., & Mishkin, A. (2012). Effective age verification techniques: Lessons to be learnt from the online gambling industry. doi:https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2658038.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research. National Academies Press.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2017). Marijuana. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana. Accessed on April 27, 2017.

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws 2016. State Info. http://norml.org/states. Accessed on June 8, 2016.

New York State Department of Health. (2014). Medical marijuana program regulations. Retrived from: https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/docs/regulations.pdf

Ribisl, K. M., Kim, A. E., & Williams, R. S. (2001). Web sites selling cigarettes: How many are there in the USA and what are their sales practices? Tobacco Control, 10(4), 352–359.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Ribisl, K. M., Williams, R. S., & Kim, A. E. (2003). Internet sales of cigarettes to minors. JAMA, 290(10), 1356–1359.CrossRefPubMed

Smith, L., & Foxcroft, D. (2009). The effect of alcohol advertising, marketing and portrayal on drinking behaviour in young people: Systematic review of prospective cohort studies. BMC Public Health, 9(1), 51.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

US Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 3.

Volkow, N. D., Baler, R. D., Compton, W. M., & Weiss, S. R. (2014). Adverse health effects of marijuana use. The New England Journal of Medicine, 370, 2219–2227.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Washington State Legislature. (2013). Advertising. [WAC 314-55-155]. Retrieved from: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=314-55-155

Whiting, P. F., Wolff, R. F., Deshpande, S., Di Nisio, M., Duffy, S., Hernandez, A. V., et al. (2015). Cannabinoids for medical use: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA, 313(24), 2456–2473.CrossRefPubMed

Williams, R. S., & Schmidt, A. (2014). The sales and marketing practices of English-language internet alcohol vendors. Addiction, 109(3), 432–439.CrossRefPubMed

Williams, R. S., Derrick, J., & Ribisl, K. M. (2015). Electronic cigarette sales to minors via the internet. JAMA Pediatrics, 169, e1563.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Title: Marijuana Promotion Online: an Investigation of Dispensary Practices
Authors: Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg
Melissa J. Krauss
Elizabeth Cahn
Kiriam Escobar Lee
Erin Ferguson
Biva Rajbhandari
Shaina J. Sowles
Glennon M. Floyd
Carla Berg
Laura J. Bierut
Publication date: 01-02-2019
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Prevention Science / Issue 2/2019
Print ISSN: 1389-4986
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6695
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-018-0889-2

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Marijuana Promotion Online: an Investigation of Dispensary Practices

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 2/2019

Marijuana Use among Adolescents and Emerging Adults in the Midst of Policy Change: Introduction to the Special Issue

Race/Ethnicity Differences in Trends of Marijuana, Cigarette, and Alcohol Use Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders in Washington State, 2004–2016

Using Existing Data to Advance Knowledge About Adolescent and Emerging Adult Marijuana Use in the Context of Changes in Marijuana Policies

The Impact of the Urban Neighborhood Environment on Marijuana Trajectories During Emerging Adulthood

Correction to: When Marijuana Is Used before Cigarettes or Alcohol: Demographic Predictors and Associations with Heavy Use, Cannabis Use Disorder, and Other Drug-related Outcomes

The Interplay Between Marijuana-Specific Risk Factors and Marijuana Use Over the Course of Adolescence