Cannabis Inc.

Australian ABC News recently interviewed Dr. Leslie Walker and two Seattle marijuana business entrepreneurs for a story about marijuana legalization in Washington.  The resulting story, Cannabis Inc., is available to view online.

Marijuana addiction starts early
During her interview, Dr. Walker notes that addiction is a pediatric disease that carries over into adulthood.  The vast majority of adults who are addicted to drugs, including alcohol and marijuana, started using when they were adolescents.  The tobacco and alcohol industries make their profits from the people who use a lot of their products, including people who are addicted to them.  For the marijuana industry to be profitable, they will need to do the same.  Like the tobacco and alcohol industries, the marijuana industry will need to attract young people to use their products because the people who start using before they are legally eligible to will make up the majority of their future adult market.

Regulating the cannabis industry
To counteract industry activities to attract young people to use their products, strict regulations need to be adopted and enforced.  For instance, marketing and advertising restrictions, such as the strict restrictions on tobacco marketing and advertising, can be adopted.  This includes a ban on sweet flavored products.  Another example is limiting the number of marijuana retailers that are located in a community.  The Guide to Community Preventive Services provides a list of policies that prevent tobacco and alcohol-related harms and can be used to do the same for marijuana.

Watchdogs needed
As those of us who work to prevent youth drug use know, the tobacco and alcohol industries are constantly trying to loosen or eliminate regulations.  They are constantly lobbying lawmakers to create a more business-friendly environment for them.  The same is already true for the marijuana industry.  (The ABC News journalist interviews a marijuana industry lobbyist in Washington, DC.)  To counteract marijuana lobbying, people concerned about the health of adolescents will need to be vigilant, organized, and prepared to provide lawmakers with information about how marijuana policy affects children in their communities.

"Buddy the Bear" advertises marijuana

From KING 5:

Buddy is a guy in a green bear suit, reminiscent of artwork associated with The Grateful Dead. He waves to people heading in and out of town while wearing a sandwich board advertising the dispensary's "discreet delivery."  The service bills itself as an answer for patients who aren’t comfortable walking into a marked dispensary.

Beavers (the dispensary owner) says her business is no different than Dominos Pizza, and she should be able to advertise the same way.

"Advertising is extremely important. Word of mouth will only get you so far in this business," she said.

Beavers concedes her dancing bear may appeal to children, but that’s not the intent.

Vaporizers marketed to teenagers

Example of e-cigarette social media
marketing from "Gateway to Addiction?"
April 2014

From the Prevention Hub:

Even though e-cigarette makers have insisted on not targeting young adults with their products, a new report by a group of U.S. senators seems to have proven them otherwise. The report revealed that the nature of their products and their marketing strategy is likely to be geared towards the younger generation. E-cigarettes are available in a variety of flavours (i.e. Piña Colada, Vivid Vanilla and Cherry Crush) that seem to appeal to youth in particular. As far as their advertising is concerned, they were found to give out free samples at youth events and extensively market their products on social media sites. E-cigarettes continue to cause controversy with some considering them as an aid to quit smoking while others see them as a ‘gateway’ for smoking traditional cigarettes.

Link:  Gateway to Addiction: A Survey of Popular Electronic Cigarette Manufacturers and Targeted Marketing to Youth