Twitter Analysis Reveals Mostly Positive Attitudes Toward Cannabis Edibles, With Some Warning Signs
Analysis of over 100,000 tweets about cannabis edibles found predominantly positive attitudes, but negative tweets highlighted real concerns about unpredictable effects and intensity, with more edibles discussion in states where cannabis is legal.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Researchers collected over 100,000 tweets mentioning cannabis edibles between May and July 2015. About 27% contained geographic data allowing state-level analysis.
States that allowed recreational and/or medical cannabis had significantly higher rates of edibles-related tweeting compared to states where cannabis remained fully illegal. This suggests that legal access drives both use and public conversation.
Overall, cannabis edibles were positively perceived among Twitter users. However, the negative tweets were particularly informative: they described the unreliability of edible effects, variability in intensity, and difficulty predicting duration. These concerns align with the clinical reports of edible-related emergency department visits that emerged after legalization.
The authors propose Twitter analysis as an epidemiological monitoring tool for emerging drug use patterns and trends.
Key Numbers
100,182 tweets collected. 26,975 (26.9%) had state-level geolocation. Significantly more edibles discussion in legal states. Generally positive sentiment overall. Negative tweets focused on unpredictable effects and intensity.
How They Did This
Twitter data collected via API between May 1 and July 31, 2015, filtered through the eDrugTrends/Twitris platform. A random sample of geolocated tweets was manually coded for sentiment. State-level proportions were adjusted for total Twitter users per state. Permutation testing assessed differences by cannabis legislation status.
Why This Research Matters
As edibles become more popular, understanding public attitudes and experiences is important for harm reduction. The positive framing of edibles on social media may encourage naive users, while the negative experiences described (unpredictable effects, excessive intensity) align with known clinical risks.
The Bigger Picture
Social media analysis represents a new frontier for substance use epidemiology. Twitter data can capture emerging trends, attitudes, and experiences in near real-time, complementing traditional survey methods that take years to publish.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Twitter users are not representative of the general population (younger, more urban, more tech-savvy). Tweets are brief and may not accurately represent complex experiences. Manual coding of a random sample may miss important patterns. Cannot verify actual edible use from tweets.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would edible-specific education campaigns reduce adverse experiences?
- ?How do social media attitudes toward edibles correlate with actual use patterns and emergency department visits?
- ?Has the conversation changed since 2015?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 100,000+ tweets about edibles, mostly positive but with warnings about unpredictable effects
- Evidence Grade:
- Novel social media epidemiology approach with large dataset, but Twitter users are not representative and tweet content has limited clinical detail.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2016 using 2015 data. The edibles market has expanded dramatically since, with improved labeling and dosing standards in many states.
- Original Title:
- "Those edibles hit hard": Exploration of Twitter data on cannabis edibles in the U.S.
- Published In:
- Drug and alcohol dependence, 164, 64-70 (2016)
- Authors:
- Lamy, Francois R, Daniulaityte, Raminta(2), Sheth, Amit(2), Nahhas, Ramzi W, Martins, Silvia S, Boyer, Edward W, Carlson, Robert G
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01203
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What do people say about cannabis edibles on social media?
Most tweets were positive, but negative experiences highlighted the unpredictability of edible effects, variability in intensity, and difficulty knowing when effects will hit and how long they will last.
Are edibles discussed more in legal states?
Yes. States that allowed recreational or medical cannabis had significantly higher rates of edibles-related tweeting, suggesting legal access drives both use and public conversation.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01203APA
Lamy, Francois R; Daniulaityte, Raminta; Sheth, Amit; Nahhas, Ramzi W; Martins, Silvia S; Boyer, Edward W; Carlson, Robert G. (2016). "Those edibles hit hard": Exploration of Twitter data on cannabis edibles in the U.S.. Drug and alcohol dependence, 164, 64-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.029
MLA
Lamy, Francois R, et al. ""Those edibles hit hard": Exploration of Twitter data on cannabis edibles in the U.S.." Drug and alcohol dependence, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.029
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. ""Those edibles hit hard": Exploration of Twitter data on can..." RTHC-01203. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/lamy-2016-those-edibles-hit-hard
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.