![]() ![]() This exploratory and timely study is the first known of its kind to investigate how both medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries are currently being advertised online by dispensary websites across the U.S. No known studies have yet investigated marijuana dispensaries’ use of online promotional practices, but evidence signals their effectiveness at encouraging alcohol and tobacco purchasing behaviors among youth as well as individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged ( Brown-Johnson et al., 2014 McClure et al., 2006). Similar tactics were observed in an analysis of online tobacco retailers, where popular promotional tactics included advertising tax-free or reduced price cigarettes ( Ribisl, Kim, & Williams, 2001). For example, in a content analysis of internet alcohol vendor websites, investigators found that most vendors utilized discount pricing and/or customer loyalty programs to boost sales ( Williams & Schmidt, 2014). Nevertheless, some dispensaries may be financially motivated to increase customer sales by touting the medical/health benefits of marijuana as suggested by emerging evidence ( Bierut et al., 2017).Īdditionally, related studies on alcohol and tobacco online vendors suggest that dispensaries may employ special promotions including price discounts and loyalty programs to attract new consumers and retain loyal ones. For instance, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Tourette’s syndrome are qualifying medical conditions by state law for the use of medical marijuana ( D’Souza & Ranganathan, 2015), but the efficacy of marijuana for use in this way is supported only by low-quality evidence ( Whiting et al., 2015). However, beyond those, there are numerous conditions that now appear on several states’ approved lists. Currently, there is relative consensus that marijuana reduces nausea and vomiting, helps with chronic pain, and improves spastic symptoms for multiple sclerosis patients ( National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine, 2017). It is also opportune to study the marketing of marijuana through the promotion of its use for medical/health benefits. Given that previous science indicates that minors can successfully purchase cigarettes from internet vendors ( Ribisl, Williams & Kim, 2003), it is timely to investigate dispensary practices that authorize underage viewing of its online promotion and/or facilitate access to marijuana upon a subsequent online purchase. In addition, a direct-to-home delivery option could ease one’s ready access to marijuana. For example, the option for customers to pre-purchase marijuana online could streamline and expedite a customer’s pick-up experience. Underage exposure to marijuana advertisements can be especially concerning when it coincides with dispensary practices that facilitate easy access to marijuana. Still, marijuana advertisements exist online and on social media, where there are minimal security measures to prevent their viewing among underage youth ( Bierut et al., 2017, Krauss et al., 2017 Leafly, 2017b). ![]() Numerous states (e.g., Colorado, Washington, New York) explicitly prohibit the direct targeting of marijuana promotions to children ( Colorado Department of Revenue, 2013 New York State Department of Health, 2014 Washington State Legislature, 2013). Thus, in consideration of the expanding marijuana market and the known potential risks associated with marijuana use including dependence, respiratory and cardiovascular risks, cognitive impairment, and increased motor vehicle accidents ( Volkow et al., 2014), there is awareness that establishing advertising regulations surrounding the sale of marijuana could help to protect the health of young people ( Feeney & Kampman, 2016). A field of research indicates that exposure to alcohol and tobacco advertising can shift attitudes towards normalization of use and increase likelihood of use, and this advertising disproportionately targets youth and adolescents ( Anderson et al., 2009 D’Amico, Miles, & Tucker, 2015). As legalization shifts towards leniency, businesses involved with the growing sales of marijuana will undoubtedly expand. In recent years, support for legalization has amplified, and currently 28 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 2017). Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, but the movement to legalize marijuana at the state level has gained momentum across the U.S.
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