Indopedia All Things Marijuana
(HealthDay)—There has been an alarming increase in young Americans’ exposure to marijuana ads as more states legalize the drug, a new study contends.
Recreational and/or medicinal use of marijuana is now legal in more than half of U.S. states, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis said.
“Advertising can be powerful,” said study first author Melissa Krauss, a research statistician in the department of psychiatry. “That’s why we’re concerned that so many young adults are seeing ads for marijuana. It’s also likely that younger, more vulnerable kids are seeing ads, too.”
For the study, Krauss’ team surveyed 742 younger people, aged 18 to 34, all of whom reported recent marijuana use. The researchers found that 54 percent had seen or sought out marijuana ads in the previous month. The ads were either online or in more traditional forms such as billboards or print media.
Marijuana advertising laws vary from state to state, but most of the…
