Marijuana Messaging

Jackson and Metrik, professor of behavioral and social sciences and of psychiatry and human behavior, seek to better understand why people aged 18 to 74 years old use cannabis, and the potency of messages circulating on social media and among friends — from “marijuana cures cancer” and “it’s safer than alcohol” to “cannabis cures pain.” It’s the first study to examine prospective associations between a user’s exposure to messaging about cannabis and motives for using it.

Legalization of recreational use, says a recent study in Addiction, “appears to have caused a 20% average increase in cannabis use frequency in those states.” In 2021, use among young adults (19 to 30 years of age) soared to highs not seen since 1988, according to Monitoring the Future, a panel study. Smoking marijuana is now more popular than tobacco cigarettes, and new cannabis drinks are marketed as alcohol alternatives.

Taking a “team science approach,” the study will gather qualitative and quantitative data. They will interview users, cannabis dispensary and retail outlet staff, growers, and healthcare providers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts; scrape and code messaging from the internet and social media messaging platforms; and engage with 300 cannabis users three times a year through multiweek bursts of e-prompts, three to five times a day, with participants using smartphones to respond about cannabis messaging and their reasons for using it, which will provide use-pattern data.

The team aims to provide evidence to help healthcare providers, regulators, and parents communicate effectively to change beliefs. Says Metrik: “The messaging-to-motive connection has received less attention and that’s the part that we’re really interested in.”