The social media response to the rollout of legalized cannabis retail in Ontario, Canada

You Shall Not Pass? The Design of Age Gates in an Emerging Cannabis Market

“…The most popular links were to Instagram and Facebook, followed by YouTube and Twitter. These links are significant because, according to prior research, social media can have a strong influence on online shopping behaviors (e.g., Asquith, 2021;Aversa et al, 2021;Jenkins et al, 2021;Meacham et al, 2018;Trangenstein et al, 2019;Whitehill et al, 2020). In fact, one survey found that youth who engaged with cannabis promotions on social media were five times more likely to report cannabis use in the past year (Trangenstein et al, 2019).…”

“…The location of the age gates in the website architecture . Prior work on dispensary age gates has focused on the landing page, where an age gate may be required by law (Bierut et al, 2017; Cavazos-Rehg et al, 2019). In the present study, I examined not just landing pages, but menu pages (including featured products and specials) and checkout pages.…”

“…Age inputs. Prior work on dispensary age gates has noted variations in choice architecture, including checkboxes, buttons, and the requirement for customers to type their birthdate (Bierut et al, 2017; Cavazos-Rehg et al, 2019). Barry et al (2021), writing about age gates on alcohol company websites, suggested that some of these variations are “far weaker” than others (p. 87), making them of interest in design research.…”

“…Bierut et al (2017) also conducted a content analysis of dispensary age gates, limiting their study to Washington State ( n = 57 dispensaries) and Colorado ( n = 89). They determined that among dispensaries with an operational website, 41% ( n = 31) in Colorado and 35% ( n = 13) in Washington did not have any form of age verification.…”

On offer to Ontario consumers three years after legalization: A profile of cannabis products, cannabinoid content, plant type, and prices

“…This is in agreement with the Canadian Cannabis Survey in which 30% of participants in 2022 ranked price as the number one factor that influences purchases ( 31 , 39 ). Users on social media platforms thought legal products were expensive in comparison to illegal cannabis and have also expressed concerns with difficulties with supply shortages in the legal market ( 53 ). Cannabis users have indicated that price, product quality, store location, and the inconvenience of purchasing from legal sources were key reasons for buying cannabis from the illicit market ( 54 ).…”