# Recreational Marijuana Marketing and Young Adult Consumer Behavior - Administrative Supplement

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $161,495

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Despite controversy regarding non-medical (recreational) cannabis, many states have legalized non-medical
cannabis, and many more are likely to follow, despite it being controversial in many states. Thus, states with
legalized non-medical cannabis provide an opportunity and a need to monitor cannabis retail and impact on
various subgroups, as cannabis regulatory frameworks are in their infancy and require advancements. The
overall goal of R01DA054751 is to inform regulatory efforts to minimize cannabis use in disproportionately-
impacted populations. This R01 examines the non-medical cannabis market, cannabis use, and related
perceptions in consumer segments of diverse young adults. The literature indicates that licit drug retail
marketing target certain populations (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, SGM, young adults) and the consequences
of such marketing on substance use in these groups. Our research to date indicates several issues with policy
compliance (e.g., age verification), promotional strategies appealing to young people and minorities, various
health claims, and minimal health warnings. Our team has also shown the utility of identifying young adults at
high-risk for substance use and likely marketing exposure by using industry market segmentation strategies.
R01DA054751 addresses the following specific aims: 1) determine whether neighborhood demography is
associated with marketing and point-of-sale practices among non-medical cannabis retailers over time,
accounting for policy context; and 2) compare young adult market segments defined by age and minority status
vs. psychographics in relation to cannabis use, perceptions, access, and advertising exposure in states with
differing cannabis policy contexts (non-medical, medicinal, neither) over time. As part of this work, our team is
developing a multi-year cannabis-related policy database, with unique data on retail-related policies. The
overall goal of this Administrative Supplement (led by Dr. Y. Tony Yang) is to expand on this newly-
developed cannabis retail-related policy database by providing additional detailed data on equity-related
policies and their implementation. While many states with non-medical cannabis include equity-related policies,
little is known about them or their characteristics, implementation, or impact. These data are crucial to
understand the extent and methods used to address equity, evaluate their effectiveness, and inform future
policy development and implementation protocols. Thus, the proposed Administrative Supplement responds
to NOT-DA-22-003: Public Health Research on Cannabis and will address the following specific aims: 1)
augment our existing R01 database of cannabis-related policies with detailed information regarding equity-
related policies and their implementation and conduct an analysis of major themes, approaches, gaps, and
promising strategies; and 2) examine one common equity-related policy theme we have identified in our
prel...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10848546
- **Project number:** 3R01DA054751-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Carla J Berg
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $161,495
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10848546

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10848546, Recreational Marijuana Marketing and Young Adult Consumer Behavior - Administrative Supplement (3R01DA054751-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10848546. Licensed CC0.

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