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March 9, 2025
A legal loophole is allowing children who access social media to see enticing advertisements for marijuana with potentially dangerous consequences, according to experts. Under the Controlled Substances Act, it’s illegal to advertise the sale or use of marijuana using federal airwaves or across state lines. But that hasn’t stopped social media ads on cannabis websites from reaching youth of all ages who use screens, said the research director for the Prevention Policy Group, a health equity and prevention association in Berkeley, California. She said: "Businesses are allowed to make their own pages and then post ads on their feed. Youth are bypassing age restrictions and seeing the ads for products they’re not legally allowed to buy. They can like, comment and share those posts with their friends. Research shows that type of engagement is related to an increased likelihood of wanting to use and using cannabis. It’s a perfect storm, and regulators are doing nothing about it." According to a 2024 national survey, over 7% of eighth graders, nearly 16% of 10th graders and almost 26% of 12th graders said they have used cannabis in the past 12 months. When marijuana use occurs during the teen years, it’s more likely the individual will become addicted, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Cannabis use during adolescence can interfere with memory, cognition and brain growth at a critical time in a child’s natural development. A new study shows that California adolescents’ interest in using marijuana products is increased by the ads they see. The key findings from the study, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, that certain features in the ads attracted that age group, and that 87% of youth had seen or heard cannabis ads in the past 30 days. The study is titled "Characteristics and Effects of Cannabis Advertisements with Appeal to Youth in California." It was released by Getting it Right from the Start at the Public Health Institute (PHI) and the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids. The researchers said marketing regulators should be paying attention. “These findings represent an opportunity to make targeted adjustments to cannabis marketing regulations to clarify what is attractive to youth. This will help the industry know what to avoid to prevent and reduce cannabis use among youth,”. Here's the link: CNN Health: New PHI Research on How Cannabis Ads Are Enticing Kids to Try Weed - Public Health Institute