Citation

Leos-Toro C, Fong GT, Meyer SB, Hammond D. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

School of Public Health & Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, N2L 3G1, ON, Canada. Electronic address: dhammond@uwaterloo.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107843

PMID

32044091

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: As part of cannabis legalization in Canada and several US states, regulations specify how THC levels should be labelled on products; however, there is little evidence on the extent to which consumers understand and use THC labelling to inform consumption amounts. The current study was designed to assess comprehension of cannabis-related information including communication of dose and strength of product on different labelling designs among young Canadians.

METHODS: Two experiments were conducted in October 2017 among Canadian youth and young adults aged 16-30 years as part of an online cross-sectional survey (N = 870). Experiment 1 randomized respondents to one of three labelling conditions (1=No Label, 2=mgTHC, 3=Doses). Respondents interpreted a recommended serving and number of servings contained in the package. Experiment 2 randomized respondents to one of four labelling conditions communicating THC level (1=No Label, 2=%THC, 3=mgTHC, 4=Traffic Light System). Respondents determined level of THC in the product.

RESULTS: Labelling the number of doses per package was associated with the greatest proportion of correct responses (54.1 %) when respondents had to determine a recommended serving compared with the no-label control condition (7.4 %) and THC mg condition (13.4 %). When cannabis products were labelled using a traffic light system, participants were more likely to identify THC level: low THC (85.1 %) or high THC (86.4 %) than the control condition (2.0 % and 5.2 % respectively).

CONCLUSION: Few consumers can understand and apply quantitative THC labelling; in contrast, THC labels that provide 'interpretive' information, such as descriptors, symbols, or references to servings have greater efficacy.

Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Cannabis; Cannabis constituent labelling; Cannabis consumer behavior; Cannabis product packaging; Cannabis use