ArticleJournal of studies on alcohol and drugs2024
Cannabis Retailer Communication About Cannabis Products, Health Benefits, and Risks: A Mystery Shopper Study of Licensed Retailers in Five U.S. Cities.
Article in Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cannabis retailers' marketing practices and compliance with state regulations: a 2025 point-of-sale audit in 5 U.S. cities.Addictive behaviors · 2026Article
- Mystery shopper assessments of cannabis retailer practices and regulatory compliance in five U.S. states, 2025.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Article
- Impact of Simple Versus Complex Cannabis Advertising Messages and Warnings on US Young Adults' Product Perceptions.Substance use & addiction journal · 2026Article
- Centering Individuals With Mental Illness as an At-Risk Group in the Era of Cannabis Legalization and Commercialization.Clinical therapeutics · 2026Article
- Cannabinoid Vaping Products: Regulation, Composition, Toxicological Effects, and Emerging Research.Chemical research in toxicology · 2025Review
- Cannabis Retailer Advice on Blunt, Tobacco, and Cannabis Use During Pregnancy.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Young Adults' Experiences with Cannabis Retailer Marketing and Related Practices: Differences Among Sociodemographic Groups and Associations with Cannabis Use-related Outcomes.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Article
- State Nonmedical Cannabis Laws and U.S. Young Adults' Cannabis-Related Experiences.American journal of preventive medicine · 2025Article
- How are pro- and anti-cannabis messaging exposures related to US young adult cannabis use-related factors?Health education research · 2025Article
- A Narrative Review of Research on Cannabis Advertising in the United States.Current addiction reports · 2025Review
- Age-Gating and Marketing Differences Between Storefront and Non-Storefront Cannabis Retailers.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2025Article
- Developing a Mock Retail Cannabis Shop for Research: A Description of The CANNEX.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2025Article
- Neighborhood demographics in relation to marketing and regulation-related factors among cannabis retailers in 5 US cities.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2024Article
- Cannabis and Pregnancy.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Review
- Disproportionate increase in cannabis use among people with serious psychological distress and associations with psychiatric service use in the United States, 2009-2019.Addictive behaviors · 2024Article
- Changes in online marketing and sales practices among non-medical cannabis retailers in 5 US cities, 2022 to 2023.Preventive medicine reports · 2024Article
- Cannabis retailer marketing strategies and regulatory compliance: A surveillance study of retailers in 5 US cities.Addictive behaviors · 2023Article
- The Individual and Interactive Effects of Alpha-Pinene and Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Healthy Adults.Medical cannabis and cannabinoidsArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveAs the U.S. cannabis market expands, surveillance of retailer practices, especially product health claims and risks, is crucial to protect consumers. In this study, mystery shoppers (i.e., staff not explicitly identified as researchers) examined retail personnel communication regarding product recommendations, health benefits, safety, and/or risks among U.S. cannabis retailers.
methodIn Summer 2022, mystery shoppers audited 140 licensed cannabis retailers in 5 cities in states with established nonmedical (i.e., recreational) cannabis sales and diverse regulations (Denver, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California). Descriptive and bivariate analyses characterized retail personnel communication overall and across cities.
resultsCommon product recommendations for new users included edibles, pre-rolled joints, and bud/flower, and 8.6% offered free/inexpensive ways to sample products. Although Colorado, Washington, and Oregon explicitly prohibited health claims in advertising or labels, more than 90% of retailers there endorsed use for anxiety, insomnia, and/or pain. Whereas 54.3% endorsed use for pregnancy-related nausea (least common in Denver, 23.3%; most common in Seattle, 76.7%), 26.4% warned against use during pregnancy (most frequently in Denver, 46.7%; least frequently in Seattle and Portland, 13.3%). Overall, 52.1% warned against driving after use (most frequently in Denver, 80.0%; least frequently in Las Vegas, 20.0%). Almost all (≥90%) sold cannabidiol (CBD) products and endorsed their health benefits and safety, but few (<10%) sold or endorsed delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), etc. (all of which were in Los Angeles).
conclusionsOngoing cannabis retail surveillance, particularly using protocols assessing factors outside those visibly observable, is needed to inform regulatory and enforcement efforts, especially related to health claims.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.