CBD Labels Made Cannabis Seem Safer but Less Worth Buying Compared to THC Labels | Research

The takeaway

In an experiment with 431 cannabis users, CBD-dominant product labels were perceived as least harmful and most beneficial but least likely to be purchased, while visual potency aids did not change perceptions.

cannabis regulators, label designers, public health communicators, consumer behavior researchers

What the researchers found

CBD-dominant products were rated least harmful, most beneficial, and least likely to purchase or use compared to THC-dominant or equal-ratio products. Adding visual aids to communicate potency did not significantly change any perceptions (all Ps>0.10). Perceived benefits mediated the relationship between cannabinoid content and likelihood to use, but perceived harms did not.

Why it matters

As cannabis labeling regulations develop, understanding how label information influences consumer behavior is critical. The finding that benefit perceptions drive use decisions more than harm perceptions has implications for label design and health communication.

The numbers in context

431 participants. CBD-dominant: least harmful, most beneficial, least likely to purchase. THC-dominant: most likely to purchase. Visual aids: no significant effect (all P>0.10). Benefits mediated use likelihood (b=-0.14). Harms did not mediate (b=-0.01).

How the study worked

3x2 mixed experimental design: within-subjects cannabinoid content (THC-dominant, CBD-dominant, 1:1) by between-subjects display type (numeric vs. numeric + visual aid). 431 cannabis users recruited via Prolific.com evaluated product packages online.

What this study cannot tell us

Online experiment with hypothetical purchase decisions. Cannabis users only, not the general population. Cannot assess actual purchasing behavior. Product labels were simplified experimental stimuli. Prolific sample may not represent all cannabis consumers.

How to read the evidence

Controlled experimental design with adequate sample, but hypothetical online decisions and cannabis-user-only sample limit to moderate.

When this study was published

Recent experimental study.

The bigger picture

The paradox that CBD products are perceived as most beneficial yet least desired for purchase suggests consumers may value the psychoactive effects of THC over the perceived health benefits of CBD. Label design alone may have limited influence on use behavior.

Questions still open

Would real-world purchase data confirm these label effects?
Could health warning labels on THC products reduce use willingness?

Common questions

Do cannabis labels change what people buy?

The cannabinoid content listed on labels influenced how healthy people perceived products, but THC-dominant products were still most desired for purchase despite being seen as more harmful.

Do visual potency indicators help?

No. Adding visual aids to show cannabinoid potency did not change how people perceived the products' health effects or their willingness to buy them.

Read the original research

Cannabinoid content on product labels influences cannabis health perceptions.

Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 59(1)

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Stanz, Joshua L; Ladd, Benjamin O; Magnan, Renee E. (2025). Cannabinoid content on product labels influences cannabis health perceptions.. Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 59(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaf046