Most Americans get cannabis information from friends and websites, not doctors
Only 9.3% of Americans used healthcare providers as a cannabis information source, while friends/family (35.6%) and websites (33.7%) dominated, with government agencies the least consulted source (4.7%).
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Most common information sources: friends/family (35.6%), websites (33.7%). Least common: healthcare providers (9.3%), purchase employees (8.6%), government agencies (4.7%). Medical cannabis users more often used healthcare providers (16.4% vs. 5.2%, p=0.006). Past-year use was associated with all sources except government agencies.
Key Numbers
1,161 participants, 51% female, 27% past-year cannabis use. Friends/family: 35.6%. Websites: 33.7%. Popular media: 13.9%. Healthcare providers: 9.3%. Purchase employees: 8.6%. Government agencies: 4.7%.
How They Did This
AmeriSpeak nationally representative survey of 1,161 US adults in June 2023 assessing past-year cannabis use, use intentions, and information sources. Logistic regression explored demographic and use associations.
Why This Research Matters
As cannabis rescheduling approaches, public health messaging needs to reach people where they actually get information. The low use of healthcare providers and government agencies means current public health outreach strategies may be largely ineffective.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that government agencies are the least-used information source suggests decades of drug war messaging may have eroded public trust in government cannabis information, creating a vacuum filled by commercial and social sources.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-reported information source use may not reflect information quality or influence on behavior. June 2023 snapshot. Cannot assess accuracy of information from different sources. "Websites" encompasses enormous variability.
Questions This Raises
- ?How can clinicians be better equipped and motivated to discuss cannabis?
- ?Would government cannabis information be more trusted if rescheduling occurs?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Only 9.3% used healthcare providers
- Evidence Grade:
- Nationally representative survey (AmeriSpeak) provides generalizable prevalence data, but cannot assess information quality or behavioral impact.
- Study Age:
- 2024 analysis of June 2023 AmeriSpeak survey data
- Original Title:
- Cannabis-related information sources among US residents: A probability-weighted nationally representative survey.
- Published In:
- Journal of cannabis research, 6(1), 38 (2024)
- Authors:
- Boehnke, Kevin F(22), Smith, Tristin(6), Elliott, Michael R(2), Wilson-Poe, Adrianne R, Kruger, Daniel J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05145
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do people get cannabis information?
Primarily from friends/family (36%) and websites (34%). Healthcare providers (9%) and government agencies (5%) are rarely consulted, suggesting current public health outreach may not reach most people.
Do medical cannabis users consult doctors more?
Yes. About 16% of medical cannabis users (with or without recreational use) got information from healthcare providers, compared to only 5% of recreational-only users.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05145APA
Boehnke, Kevin F; Smith, Tristin; Elliott, Michael R; Wilson-Poe, Adrianne R; Kruger, Daniel J. (2024). Cannabis-related information sources among US residents: A probability-weighted nationally representative survey.. Journal of cannabis research, 6(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-024-00249-5
MLA
Boehnke, Kevin F, et al. "Cannabis-related information sources among US residents: A probability-weighted nationally representative survey.." Journal of cannabis research, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-024-00249-5
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis-related information sources among US residents: A p..." RTHC-05145. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/boehnke-2024-cannabisrelated-information-sources-among
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.