# Recreational Marijuana Marketing and Young Adult Consumer Behavior

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $162,623

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The overall goal of R01DA054751 (‘Recreational Marijuana Marketing and Young Adult Consumer Behavior’;
R01DA054751, MPIs: Berg, Cavazos-Rehg) is to inform regulatory efforts to minimize cannabis use among
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 targets certain populations (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, SGM, young adults) as well as 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 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. This
Administrative Supplement expands upon data collection in each aim of this R01 in order to address key gaps
in the literature regarding derived psychoactive cannabis product (DPCPs), and responds to NIDA research
priorities and NOT-DA-22-003: Public Health Research on Cannabis. DPCPs have been understudies due to
their recent emergence in the US market (since the 2018 Farm Bill). For example, there is no comprehensive,
verified, and publicly-available database regarding state DPCP laws, and limited research has examined DPCP
retail/marketing or use, particularly from the perspective of legislative context. Notably, the first national estimates
of DPCP use were captured in 2023 (past-year Delta-8 THC use: 11.9% of US adults and 11.4% of 12th-graders),
indicating the need for and timeliness of research in this area. This is especially important as the under-regulated
DPCP market diversifies and expands, and as states and the 2024 Farm Bill navigate ways to address DPCPs.
In addressing the specific aims of this Administrative Supplement, we will add: 1) comprehensive data on DPCP
laws to our state cannabis law database; 2) DPCP retail audits to our planned cannabis retail audits to
characterize the DPCP retail context; and 3) an additional wave of survey data collection for a subset of young
adults in our longitudinal cohort study to assess dif...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11072784
- **Project number:** 3R01DA054751-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Carla J Berg
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $162,623
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11072784

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11072784, Recreational Marijuana Marketing and Young Adult Consumer Behavior (3R01DA054751-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11072784. Licensed CC0.

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