Seeing is believing: How cannabis marketing exposure is associated with cannabis use attitudes and behavior in a permissive medical cannabis policy environment

Abstract

Background and Objectives Oklahoma has a fast‐growing medical cannabis industry, showing a proliferation of industry marketing. While cannabis marketing exposure (CME) is a risk factor for cannabis use and positive attitudes about use, no studies have examined the impact of CME on attitudes and use behavior in a permissive cannabis policy environment, like Oklahoma. Methods N = 5428 Oklahoma adults ages 18 and older completed assessments of demographics, past 30‐day cannabis use, and past 30‐day exposure to each of four types of cannabis marketing: outdoor (billboards, signs), social media, print (magazines), and Internet. Regression models examined associations of CME with positive attitudes towards cannabis use, cannabis harm perceptions, interest in obtaining a medical cannabis license (among nonlicensed participants), and past 30‐day cannabis use. Results Three quarters (74.5%) reported any past 30‐day CME. Outdoor CME was most prevalent (61.1%), followed by social media (46.5%), Internet (46.1%), and print (35.2%). Correlates of CME included younger age, higher educational attainment and income, and medical cannabis license. In adjusted regression models, past 30‐day CME and number of sources of CME were associated with current cannabis use behavior, positive attitudes about cannabis, lower cannabis harm perceptions, and greater interest in obtaining a medical cannabis license. Similar associations between CME and positive attitudes about cannabis were shown among noncannabis users. Discussion and Conclusions Public health messaging should be employed to minimize the potential adverse impacts of CME. Scientific Significance No studies have examined correlates of CME in a rapidly growing and relatively unrestrained marketing environment.

Cannabis Use Differences Among Sexual Minority Versus Heterosexual Females and Males in Oklahoma: The Roles of Mental Health, Cannabis Perceptions, and Cannabis Marketing Exposure

“…26 They are consistent with those found among adolescent and young adult samples 34,35 and found in the tobacco literature, 60,61 which demonstrate that SM young adults report greater tobacco marketing exposure due to targeted marketing efforts from the tobacco industry (e.g., at LGBTQ+ community events). SM females' lower cannabis-related harm perceptions relative to heterosexual females may be due to multiple factors, including: (a) higher rates of recent cannabis marketing exposure (as marketing efforts often include health claims and few health warnings [62][63][64] ), particularly in places like Oklahoma with high levels of cannabis marketing exposure 43,44 ; and (b) greater use within LGBTQ+ social networks, which may impact risk perceptions via social norms. 65,66 Cannabis marketing exposure and lower cannabis harm perceptions were associated with greater odds of any past 30-day cannabis use and daily or near-daily cannabis use among females.…”

“…Bivariate analyses (i.e., chi-square tests, independent samples t -tests) examined associations between sexual identity and covariates (i.e., age, race/ethnicity, income, employment, education, health insurance, medical cannabis license, age at first cannabis use), cannabis-related factors (i.e., cannabis harm perceptions, positive attitudes, cannabis marketing exposure, mental health symptoms), and cannabis use and use severity (i.e., past 30-day cannabis use, daily/near-daily use, CUD symptoms). Crude (i.e., including sexual identity only) and adjusted (i.e., including sexual identity, cannabis-related factors, and covariates) logistic regression models examined associations of sexual identity and cannabis-related factors with odds of: (1) past 30-day cannabis use; (2) daily/near-daily cannabis use; and (3) CUD symptoms, controlling for sociodemographic variables (selected based on prior literature 2,44,52 -57 and preliminary analyses indicating associations between selected covariates and outcome variables at P < 0.05). Thus, three crude and three adjusted multinomial logistic regression models were run for females and males, respectively.…”

“…42 Moreover, Oklahoma legalized medical cannabis in 2018 and has the second-most cannabis dispensaries per capita relative to any other state. 43 Thus, SM individuals residing in Oklahoma may be commonly exposed to cannabis marketing and have positive perceptions regarding cannabis (which is associated with greater marketing exposure 44 ), further contributing to elevated rates of cannabis use.…”

Associations between e-cigarette marketing exposure and vaping nicotine and cannabis among U.S. adults, 2021

“…8 Previous studies that examined the influence of cannabis product marketing only focused on the marketing of all cannabis products without specifically examining cannabis vape product marketing or use behaviors. [9][10][11][12][13][14] Additionally, those studies often examined cannabis marketing presence and exposure at dispensaries or retailers or used convenience samples of participants who did not represent the overall nationwide population. Lastly, these studies rarely investigated such associations by marketing exposure channels (e.g., retailers, billboards, magazines/newspapers) or the population's age groups.…”

Minors and Online Marijuana Accessibility—Navigating the Digital Backdoors

“…Their research offers a detailed depiction of the burgeoning digital marijuana marketplace. It seamlessly connects the industry’s growth to the challenges of regulatory oversight, a problem evident in the expanding medical cannabis sector . The authors’ exploration of this matter is commendable, unearthing pressing truths that need attention.…”