Online cannabis vape market features 95 brands selling 26 different intoxicating compounds with youth-appealing marketing
Analysis of 490 hemp-derived intoxicating vape products found a fragmented market with widespread youth-appealing flavors, potency claims, and regulatory compliance messaging that may reduce perceived risk.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
95 unique brands and 26 unique intoxicating cannabinoids identified; 99% featured vape design/use messaging, 91.6% referenced regulation/compliance, 79.6% made flavor claims, 43.3% made potency/psychoactive claims.
Key Numbers
490 products analyzed; 95 unique brands; 26 unique intoxicating cannabinoids; 99% included vape design messaging; 91.6% regulation/compliance claims; 79.6% flavor claims; 43.3% psychoactive effect claims.
How They Did This
Content analysis of 490 derived intoxicating cannabis vape products from two high-traffic online retail websites in 2023; two trained coders thematically coded product descriptions.
Why This Research Matters
The 2018 Farm Bill created a loophole allowing hemp-derived intoxicating products that bypass cannabis regulations, and their online marketing strategies may particularly appeal to young people.
The Bigger Picture
The rapid proliferation of hemp-derived intoxicating products represents a regulatory gap where potent psychoactive substances are marketed with minimal oversight compared to state-regulated cannabis.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Only two websites analyzed; product descriptions may not reflect actual product contents; did not assess consumer perceptions; snapshot in time (2023); could not verify marketing claims.
Questions This Raises
- ?Are these products reaching minors?
- ?Do compliance and lab testing claims actually reflect product safety?
- ?How do these products compare in potency and risk to regulated cannabis?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 26 unique intoxicating cannabinoids across 95 brands in just two online stores
- Evidence Grade:
- Systematic content analysis of a defined product sample, but limited to two websites and cannot assess actual consumer behavior or product safety.
- Study Age:
- Published 2025 (preprint), data from 2023
- Original Title:
- Derived Intoxicating Cannabis Vape Product Attributes and Marketing in an Online Retail Environment.
- Published In:
- medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences (2025)
- Authors:
- Chen-Sankey, Julia(10), LoParco, Cassidy R(26), La Capria, Kathryn(2), Meng, Siyan, Mazzeo, Rosanna, Vijayakumar, Neha, Kong, Amanda Y, Tillett, Kayla K, Berg, Carla, Rossheim, Matthew E
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06194
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What are derived intoxicating cannabis vape products?
Products made from hemp-derived cannabinoids that produce intoxicating effects but exist in a regulatory gray area created by the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp but did not anticipate these derivatives.
What marketing tactics were most common?
Nearly all products (99%) promoted vape design features, 91.6% referenced regulations or lab testing, 79.6% highlighted flavors, and 43.3% made explicit claims about psychoactive potency.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06194APA
Chen-Sankey, Julia; LoParco, Cassidy R; La Capria, Kathryn; Meng, Siyan; Mazzeo, Rosanna; Vijayakumar, Neha; Kong, Amanda Y; Tillett, Kayla K; Berg, Carla; Rossheim, Matthew E. (2025). Derived Intoxicating Cannabis Vape Product Attributes and Marketing in an Online Retail Environment.. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.22.25320970
MLA
Chen-Sankey, Julia, et al. "Derived Intoxicating Cannabis Vape Product Attributes and Marketing in an Online Retail Environment.." medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.22.25320970
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Derived Intoxicating Cannabis Vape Product Attributes and Ma..." RTHC-06194. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/chen-sankey-2025-derived-intoxicating-cannabis-vape
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.