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Exposure to Pro and Anti-Cannabis Social Media Messages and Teens’ and College Students’ Intentions to Use Cannabis
Content analyses have documented that posts about cannabis are increasingly common on social media. The relationship between the cannabis-related content to which teens and college students are exposed on social media and how such content may be associated with intentions to use and use of cannabis is less known, however. We conducted an online survey with teens (N = 350) who lived in Washington state using online survey panel participants in June 2018 and with college students (N = 966) in a Washington state-wide university system in February and March 2019. Participants in both samples reported seeing both pro-cannabis and anti-cannabis messages on social media platforms.
- Exposure to pro-cannabis messages on social media was associated with an increased intention to use cannabis.
- Exposure to anti-cannabis messages on social media was indirectly associated with decreased intentions to use cannabis through negative outcome beliefs of cannabis use and, among college students, through perceived norms.
- Among college students specifically, exposure to pro-cannabis messages on social media was also associated with more frequent cannabis use.
- Health communicators could focus anti-cannabis messaging on negative outcome beliefs among teens and college students as well as norms among college students to potentially influence constructs associated with intentions and use.
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JAMA Health Forum. 2023;4(1):e225041. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.5041
Key Points
Question What is the association between legalization of recreational cannabis edibles and unintentional pediatric cannabis poisoning?
Findings This cross-sectional study of all children (n = 3.4 million) aged 0 to 9 years across 4 Canadian provinces found that jurisdictions that allowed the sale of cannabis edibles experienced much larger increases in cannabis poisonings and proportions of overall poisoning hospitalizations due to cannabis than the jurisdiction that prohibited edibles.
Meaning These findings suggest that restricting the sale of legal cannabis edibles may be a key policy to prevent unintentional pediatric cannabis poisonings following legalization.
Abstract
Objective To evaluate changes in proportions of all-cause hospitalizations for poisoning due to cannabis in children during 3 legalization policy periods in Canada’s 4 most populous provinces (including 3.4 million children aged 0-9 years).
Exposures Prelegalization (January 2015 to September 2018); period 1, in which dried flower only was legalized in all provinces (October 2018 to December 2019); and period 2, in which edibles were legalized in 3 provinces (exposed provinces) and restricted in 1 province (control province) (January 2020 to September 2021).
Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the proportion of hospitalizations due to cannabis poisoning out of all-cause poisoning hospitalizations. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Poisson regression models.
Results During the 7-year study period, there were 581 pediatric hospitalizations for cannabis poisoning (313 [53.9%] boys; 268 [46.1%] girls; mean [SD] age, 3.6 [2.5] years) and 4406 hospitalizations for all-cause poisonings. Of all-cause poisoning hospitalizations, the rate per 1000 due to cannabis poisoning before legalization was 57.42 in the exposed provinces and 38.50 in the control province. During period 1, the rate per 1000 poisoning hospitalizations increased to 149.71 in the exposed provinces (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.55; 95% CI, 1.88-3.46) and to 117.52 in the control province (IRR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.82-5.11). During period 2, the rate per 1000 poisoning hospitalizations due to cannabis more than doubled to 318.04 in the exposed provinces (IRR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.68-2.80) but remained similar at 137.93 in the control province (IRR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.71-1.97).
Conclusions and Relevance This cross-sectional study found that following cannabis legalization, provinces that permitted edible cannabis sales experienced much larger increases in hospitalizations for unintentional pediatric poisonings than the province that prohibited cannabis edibles. In provinces with legal edibles, approximately one-third of pediatric hospitalizations for poisonings were due to cannabis. These findings suggest that restricting the sale of legal commercial edibles may be key to preventing pediatric poisonings after recreational cannabis legalization
Source: JAMA Health Forum – Health Policy, Health Care Reform, Health Affairs | JAMA Health Forum
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JAMA Psychiatry. Published online November 23, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3915
Question Is there an association between adolescent high-dose Ä9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure and cognitive vulnerability in adulthood?
Findings In this rat model, high-dose THC exposure during adolescence resulted in risky decision-making and impulsivity in adulthood, similar to results from reanalyzed data from 37 human chronic cannabis users, an association enhanced by acute THC reexposure. Adolescent THC exposure induced cell-specific and layer-specific changes in cannabinoid-1 receptor gene expression and astrocyte perturbations in the amygdala and prelimbic cortex.
Meaning These results emphasize significant neurobiological outcomes of high-dose adolescent THC exposure and cognitive vulnerability in adulthood.
Abstract
Importance Although perceived as relatively harmless and nonaddictive, adolescent cannabis use significantly increases the likelihood of developing cannabis use disorder in adulthood, especially for high-potency cannabis. Risky decision-making is associated with chronic cannabis use, but given confounds of human studies, it remains unclear whether adolescent cannabis exposure and Ä9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency specifically predicts risky decision-making or influences cognitive response to the drug later in life.
Objective To leverage a human data set of cannabis users and a rat model to evaluate the long-term outcomes of adolescent THC exposure on adult decision-making and impulse control.
Conclusions and Relevance In this translational study, high-dose adolescent THC exposure was associated with cognitive vulnerability in adulthood, especially with THC re-exposure. These data also suggest a link between astrocytes and cognition that altogether provides important insights regarding the neurobiological genesis of risky cannabis use that may help promote prevention and treatment efforts.
(Source: JAMA Adolescent Psychiatry )
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The latest study involved nearly 340,000 reports to poison centers involving all drugs over 20 years. Researchers looked solely at those involving children aged six to 18. They found cases involving marijuana rose the quickest of any substance, replacing alcohol in 2014 and rising fastest between 2017 and 2020 — when weed began to be decriminalized at the federal level – The sharpest surge in marijuana use was between 2017 to 2020, rising by about 40 percent in three years.
- Researchers in Oregon looked at 338,000 cases of intentional abuse or misuse
- Found marijuana has been leading cause of poisoning for children since 2018
- Researchers warned it was linked to legalization making drug more accessible
- Marijuana is considered particularly dangerous for young, developing brains and maypermanently change their structure leading to a loss of IQ.
Dr Adrienne Hughes, an emergency medicine expert at Oregon Health and Science University who led the study, said: 'These findings may reflect the impact of rapidly evolving cannabis legalization on this vulnerable population.
'Along with increasing cannabis legalization, we are also seeing the emergence of alternative modes of consumption, especially non-combustible products such as edibles and vaping devices. 'These edible products and vaping products are often marketed in ways that are attractive to youth, can be used with more discretion, and are more convenient. 'A focus group study with teenagers found that edibles were attractive to those concerned about smoking or the smell associated with smoking marijuana.'
(Source: Child marijuana use has soared 250% in last 20 years - replacing alcohol )
See Also, Women in States that Legalize Cannabis are Five times More Likely to Use Cannabis While Pregnant