{"id":34429,"date":"2026-08-20T14:34:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T18:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/?p=34429"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:45:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:45:28","slug":"leading-hemp-derived-cannabinoid-brands-lean-on-lifestyle-and-youth-appeals-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/2026\/08\/leading-hemp-derived-cannabinoid-brands-lean-on-lifestyle-and-youth-appeals-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading hemp-derived cannabinoid brands lean on lifestyle and youth appeals on social media"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brands that market hemp-derived, intoxicating cannabinoid products are capitalizing on lack of oversight<\/strong> on social media platforms to reach consumers, according to Rutgers Health researchers.<\/p>\n

Since the passage of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill<\/a>, use of these products \u2014 Delta-8 THC, HHC and THC-P delivered as edibles, beverages, vapes, concentrates and extracts \u2014 has been on the rise<\/a> throughout the United States. Brand marketing on social media, which is largely underregulated, may contribute to this growth.<\/p>\n

The study<\/a>, published in the journal Addiction<\/em>, evaluated the marketing features used by leading brands on social media to inform consumer protection and youth prevention strategies, as well as public health policy responses.<\/p>\n

\u201cStronger standards are needed to restrict content that is potentially misleading and directed at youth and even reconsider whether commercial brands that market intoxicating substances<\/strong> should be permitted to maintain social media accounts,\u201d said Julia Chen-Sankey, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The researchers analyzed 837 Instagram posts published by accounts representing nine leading brands between February 2024 and February 2025. They evaluated the posts for key marketing themes, including product descriptions, recreational appeals, imagery oriented for youth 18 and younger, health claims and safety warnings.<\/p>\n

They found the brands placed an emphasis on lifestyle and recreational marketing, with minimal attention given to consumer safety warnings. Product description and imagery were featured in 75% of posts and 52% showed recreational images that depicted hemp-derived, intoxicating cannabinoid products as part of daily routines and social or leisure experiences. Youth-oriented<\/strong> imagery, such as memes, cartoons and pop culture references, were present in nearly 50% of the posts.<\/p>\n

The marketing approach varied by product type. Cannabis beverages were the most heavily promoted product category, with 97% featuring product imagery, 84% emphasizing recreational themes, 57% using youth-oriented appeals and 40% focusing on brand positioning. Youth-focused themes also were prominent in posts marketing vapes and cartridges (54%) and edibles (49%). Recreational themes were common in posts for edibles (61%) and pre-rolls or blunts (53%).<\/p>\n

The researchers said social media platforms\u2019 policies use broad and vague language<\/strong> regarding restrictions on the sale and promotion of cannabis and THC products. This ambiguity allows brands to continue posting content that, while not directly selling these products, may still promote their use among young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough this study focused on Instagram, similar indirect marketing practices warrant closer examination on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and TikTok,\u201d said Chen-Sankey, a co-author of the study.<\/p>\n

Approximately half<\/strong> of the posts included youth-oriented elements, such as cartoon imagery, memes, and influencers, is notable given the reported increase<\/a> in hemp-derived<\/strong>, intoxicating cannabinoid product use in youth, the researchers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough many states prohibit youth-appealing marketing strategies, these restrictions do not explicitly extend to hemp-derived, intoxicating cannabinoid products or to social media platforms, where regulatory oversight and enforcement remain limited,\u201d said co-author Kathryn La Capria, a research associate at Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies<\/a>. \u201cAge restrictions<\/strong> limiting who could view brand social media content and notices that products were for adults aged 21 or older were rarely observed, leaving much of the content accessible to underage users, potentially increasing youth exposure to content that normalizes use among young people.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Public Law 119-37<\/a> effectively prohibits intoxicating hemp-derived products that are currently sold commercially by narrowing the federal definition of hemp and maximum THC per package. However, the researchers cautioned that brands with established social media audiences may continue using indirect lifestyle and brand marketing even as the product marketplace changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese findings highlight important gaps in platform policies and enforcement,\u201d Chen-Sankey said. \u201cIn addition to maintaining the prohibition on intoxicating hemp products set forth in Public Law 119-37, regulators and social media companies need clearer standards addressing youth-oriented<\/strong> features, such as cartoons and memes, as well as potentially misleading health claims and inadequate safety information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Rutgers authors include Siyan Meng, Scott Donaldson and Jon-Patrick Allem.<\/p>\n

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JOURNAL<\/h4>\n

Addiction<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brands that market hemp-derived, intoxicating cannabinoid products are capitalizing on lack of oversight on social media platforms to reach consumers, according to Rutgers Health researchers. Since the passage of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, use of these products \u2014 Delta-8 THC, HHC and THC-P delivered as edibles, beverages, vapes, concentrates and extracts \u2014 has been… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34430,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"no","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[95,369,354,346],"tags":[251,859,858,520,619],"class_list":["post-34429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","category-policylegislation","category-toxins","category-youth","tag-brands","tag-cannabis","tag-hemp","tag-toxins","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34429"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34431,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34429\/revisions\/34431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}