Analysis of 64 Canadian cannamom Instagram and blog posts found cannabis positioned as a wellness product that helps mothers achieve thinness, productivity, and engaged parenting.
maternal health researchers, social media health communication researchers, public health professionals
What the researchers found
Three themes emerged: (1) normalizing cannabis by comparing it favorably to alcohol and pharmaceuticals, (2) positioning cannabis as responsible, personalized wellness consumption, and (3) framing cannabis as a tool to achieve motherhood ideals including thinness, productivity, mental wellness, and engaged parenting. Posts often functioned as marketing for cannabis products and coaching services.
Why it matters
Cannamom culture influences how mothers perceive cannabis safety and use, particularly in a post-legalization context. The marketing overlay complicates the wellness messaging, as product promotion is embedded within community support narratives.
The numbers in context
30 blog posts and 34 Instagram posts analyzed. 3 inter-related themes identified. Posts came from Canadian cannamom content creators. Analysis conducted post-2018 Canadian legalization.
How the study worked
Qualitative reflexive thematic analysis of Canadian cannamom blog posts (N=30) and Instagram posts (N=34), analyzed through lenses of influencer culture, wine mom culture, wellness movements, and mental health movements.
What this study cannot tell us
Qualitative analysis of public social media content only. Cannot determine how these messages influence actual behavior. Small sample of posts. Canadian context may not generalize. Selection methodology for posts not fully detailed.
How to read the evidence
Qualitative analysis of a small sample of social media posts provides preliminary evidence on a culturally significant phenomenon.
When this study was published
Analysis of Canadian cannamom content post-2018 legalization.
The bigger picture
The cannamom movement intersects with broader wellness and influencer culture, raising questions about how mothers receive health information about cannabis. The parallels with wine mom culture suggest a pattern of normalizing substance use through motherhood identity.
Questions still open
- Do cannamom social media posts influence maternal cannabis use decisions?
- How do healthcare providers address cannabis information mothers receive from social media?
Common questions
What is cannamom culture?
Are these posts just personal sharing or marketing?
Read the original research
Mothers Marketing to Mothers: An Exploration of Cannabis Use and Constructions of Motherhood on Instagram and Blog Posts.
Substance use : research and treatment, 19, 29768357251403255
Citation
Smith, Tanner M; Kraft, Stella; Waugh, Anne; Harding, Kelly D; Bombak, Andrea; Riediger, Natalie D. (2025). Mothers Marketing to Mothers: An Exploration of Cannabis Use and Constructions of Motherhood on Instagram and Blog Posts.. Substance use : research and treatment, 19, 29768357251403255. https://doi.org/10.1177/29768357251403255