Today’s marijuana advertising can be found almost everywhere on billboards, in stores, across websites, and throughout social media platforms. The messages portrayed are marijuana is “harmless” or even “healthy,” but research shows these ads are misleading and can draw in young audiences.

A narrative review recently published in Current Addiction Reports found that marijuana companies are relying more on these varied forms of advertisements that are heavily used by teens and young adults every day. In this review, researchers pointed out that nearly half of teens in states with legal recreational marijuana laws reported seeing marijuana marketing often.

Discounts and deals make it more appealing to young people, and approximately 90% of retailers were found to have used this tactic on their websites. Furthermore, youth appealing content like animated cartoons, younger-looking individuals, food and flavor imagery, or messaging insinuating “coolness or popularity” was often included in these advertisements. Studies found that in California, between 35.3% to 74% of retailers had advertisements appealing to youth inside their stores, while online content from Illinois showed that 9.3% of posts on social media platforms were attracting to youth.

The Health And “Wellness” Spin

Many marijuana advertisements focused on health language and imagery, often claiming that it is “good for you” or can be used for medical purposes. Some even implied safety with different studies showing:

  • 52% of ads had medical symbols
  • 32% used words like “health” or “medical” to sound scientific
  • 7% of dispensaries, 59% of marijuana retailer websites, and 10.7% of advertisements found on Facebook and Twitter made some sort of unsupported health claim

Claims found in these online advertisements and dispensaries included messages about pain, anxiety, sleep as well as relief for ailments such as nausea and depression even when there isn’t strong medical proof. More worrying is the lack of warning about possible side effects or risks associated with use.

Studies included in the review also found that beyond health claims, marketing also focused on non-medical benefits like creativity, euphoria, social connection, and relaxation. These strategies seek to lower the perceived risk of marijuana use by sending a message that marijuana is not only commonly used, but socially acceptable, and can deceive people into thinking marijuana is a safe cure-all rather than a drug with real risks.

As these retailers try to push the boundaries of the law by finding loopholes to reach restricted audiences while making misleading health claims, it is essential for public health professionals and communities to spread awareness and become informed about the risks associated with marijuana use.

Reference: Moran, M. B., Tharmarajah, S., Czaplicki, L., Thrul, J., Spindle, T. R., Vandrey, R., Pearson, J. L., & Zamarripa, C. A. (2025). A Narrative Review of Research on Cannabis Advertising in the United States. Current addiction reports, 12(1), 92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-025-00703-1