Accuracy of Medical Marijuana Claims Made by Popular Websites

Boatwright, Katelyn D.; Sperry, Morgan L.

doi:10.1177/0897190018818907

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Similar studies have been conducted in jurisdictions other than Canada, primarily in the United States. In 2014, Boatwright et al evaluated the quality of medical marijuana claims on popular web sites determined by online marketing tools, in which they found that 76% of claims made by web sites were inaccurate and were based on low-quality evidence [ 35 ]. In comparison to the objectives of the present study, Boatwright et al, evaluated the accuracy and quality of only three medical cannabis claims on each web site, as opposed to assessing the entire web site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The quality of health information provided on web sites selling cannabis to consumers in Canada is poor

Tahir

Lum

2022

Harm Reduct J

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Background Cannabis is used by millions of people for both medical and recreational purposes, and this use is even greater in jurisdictions where it is legalized, such as Canada. Online cannabis vendors have gained popularity for purchasing cannabis due to easy access and convenience to consumers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of health information provided by web sites of cannabis vendors selling products to Canadian consumers and to further identify trends in the information provided. Methods Six different searches were conducted on Google.ca, and the first 40 webpages of each search were screened for eligibility. A total of 33 unique web sites of cannabis vendors selling products to Canadian consumers were identified and included. The DISCERN instrument, which consists of 16 questions divided into three sections, was used to evaluate the quality of cannabis-related health information on these web sites. Results Across the 33 web sites, the average of the summed DISCERN scores was 36.83 (SD = 9.73) out of 75, and the mean score for the overall quality of the publication (DISCERN question 16) was 2.41 (SD = 0.71) out of 5. Many of these web sites failed to discuss uncertainties in research evidence on cannabis, the impact of cannabis use on quality of life, alternatives to cannabis use, risks associated with cannabis use, and lacked references to support claims on effects and benefits of use. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the quality of cannabis-related health information provided by online vendors is poor. Healthcare providers should be aware that patients may use these web sites as primary sources of information and appropriately caution patients while directing them to high-quality sources. Future research should serve to replicate this study in other jurisdictions and assess the accuracy of information provided by online cannabis vendors, as this was outside the scope of the DISCERN instrument.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The quality of health information provided on web sites selling cannabis to consumers in Canada is poor

Tahir

Lum

2022

Harm Reduct J

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“…Few published studies have assessed the quality of online consumer health information specific to cannabis. One study examined the label accuracy of cannabidiol products sold online (Bonn-Miller et al 2017 ), while others have evaluated the accuracy of cannabis claims found on popular websites (Sperry 2018 ), and information specific to cannabis addiction (Khazaal et al 2008 ). Other studies have reviewed the quality of cannabis information published in magazines and newspapers (Halvorson et al 2018 ; Montané et al 2005 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis for pain: a cross-sectional survey of the patient information quality on the Internet

Dzisiak

Saini

2021

J Cannabis Res

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Background Cannabis has increasingly become an alternative treatment for chronic pain, however, there is evidence of concomitant negative health effects with its long-term usage. Patients contemplating cannabis use for pain relief commonly see information online but may not be able to identify trustworthy and accurate sources, therefore, it is imperative that healthcare practitioners play a role in assisting them in discerning the quality of information. The present study assesses the quality of web-based consumer health information available at the intersection of cannabis and pain. Methods A cross-sectional quality assessment of website information was conducted. Three countries were searched on Google: Canada, the Netherlands, and the USA. The first 3 pages of generated websites were used in each of the 9 searches. Eligible websites contained cannabis consumer health information for pain treatment. Only English-language websites were included. Encyclopedias (i.e. Wikipedia), forums, academic journals, general news websites, major e-commerce websites, websites not publicly available, books, and video platforms were excluded. Information presented on eligible websites were assessed using the DISCERN instrument. The DISCERN instrument consists of three sections, the first focusing on the reliability of the publication, the second investigating individual aspects of the publication, and the third providing an overall averaged score. Results Of 270 websites identified across searches, 216 were duplicates, and 18 were excluded based on eligibility criteria, resulting in 36 eligible websites. The average summed DISCERN score was 48.85 out of 75.00 (SD = 8.13), and the average overall score (question 16) was 3.10 out of 5.00 (SD = 0.62). These overall scores were calculated from combining the scores for questions 1 through 15 in the DISCERN instrument for each website. Websites selling cannabis products/services scored the lowest, while health portals scored the highest. Conclusion These findings indicate that online cannabis consumer health information for the treatment/management of pain presents biases to readers. These biases included websites: (1) selectively citing studies that supported the benefits associated with cannabis use, while neglecting to mention those discussing its risks, and (2) promoting cannabis as “natural” with the implication that this equated to “safe”. Healthcare providers should be involved in the guidance of patients’ seeking and use of online information on this topic.

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“…FDA, 2019). Similarly, cannabis retailers are making scientifically unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of cannabis while simultaneously failing to display appropriate health-related warnings (Berg et al, 2018; Bierut, Krauss, Sowles, & Cavazos-Rehg, 2017; Boatwright & Sperry, 2019; Caputi, 2020; Cavazos-Rehg et al, 2019; Moreno et al, 2018). A related marketing strategy is the use of the word “natural” for promotion purposes.…”

Section: Cannabis Industry Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of psychology for shaping legal cannabis regulation.

Borodovsky¹,

Sofis²,

Grucza³

et al. 2021

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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Different patterns of cannabis use can be traced directly back to different interactions between 2 types of variables: pharmacological and environmental. As legal cannabis expands in the U.S. and around the world, state and national regulatory agencies are gaining control over these variables. Specifically, regulatory agencies are increasingly capable of altering (a) the pharmacological properties of cannabis products and (b) the way these products are distributed to the population. Consequently, cannabis regulatory agencies are in a unique position to use evidence from psychological science to alter cannabis consumption patterns in ways that mitigate potential harm to public health. However, most state-level legal cannabis regulatory systems in the U.S. are not yet evidence-based or public health-oriented. This applied review and commentary draws on evidence from the psychological science literature to help regulators better understand the types of behaviors they must address and guide empirically supported regulation of THC-laden cannabis, whether used putatively for medical or recreational reasons. This review is organized into 3 parts that correspond to the 3 primary agents within the cannabis regulation ecosystem: (a) the cannabis consumer, (b) the cannabis industry, and (c) the cannabis regulatory agency. Within this structure, the review addresses critical psychological variables that drive cannabis consumer and industry behaviors and discusses how regulatory agencies can use this information to protect public health.

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Accuracy of Medical Marijuana Claims Made by Popular Websites

Cited by 11 publications

References 40 publications

The quality of health information provided on web sites selling cannabis to consumers in Canada is poor

The quality of health information provided on web sites selling cannabis to consumers in Canada is poor

Cannabis for pain: a cross-sectional survey of the patient information quality on the Internet

The importance of psychology for shaping legal cannabis regulation.

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