Cannabis retailer marketing practices varied by neighborhood race and income

Predominantly White neighborhoods had higher odds of pregnancy warnings, membership programs, and delivery services. Higher-income areas had more health claims but fewer exterior ads. Areas with more youth had less youth-oriented signage and fewer price specials. Minority communities had less regulatory compliance signage overall.

Multilevel multivariable logistic regression analyzing 2022 audit data from 150 randomly selected cannabis retailers in 5 US cities (Denver, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles). Census tract demographics linked to marketing and regulatory compliance measures.

If cannabis retailers in minority neighborhoods have less safety signage and different marketing approaches, this mirrors patterns seen with alcohol and tobacco that have contributed to health disparities in those communities.

Cannabis retail regulation is still evolving, and these findings suggest that without proactive enforcement, the industry may follow the same patterns as alcohol and tobacco, concentrating less responsible marketing in vulnerable communities.

Cross-sectional audit at one time point. Only 150 stores across 5 cities. Neighborhood demographics at census tract level may not represent the actual customer base. Cannot determine whether marketing differences cause health disparities.