Examining indirect effects of advertising exposure on young adults’ cannabis and nicotine vaping.

Introduction:
This article examines the relationship between exposure to advertising for medical or recreational cannabis and vape shops, and the subsequent use of e-cigarettes to vape nicotine and/or cannabis among a diverse longitudinal cohort of young adults. The study also investigates expectancies, or beliefs about the positive and negative effects of these products, as mechanisms of this association.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from a longitudinal cohort of young adults originally recruited in 2008 and followed annually until 2021.
* Participants were exposed to medical or recreational cannabis advertisements and vape shop advertisements, and completed surveys on their expectancies and use of e-cigarettes to vape nicotine and/or cannabis.
* The study found that exposure to cannabis advertising was associated with more positive cannabis expectancies, which in turn were associated with a greater likelihood of vaping cannabis only.
* Exposure to vape shop advertisements was not significantly associated with vaping nicotine only or co-use of nicotine and cannabis vaping.
* Positive and negative vaping expectancies were associated with a greater and lower likelihood of co-use, respectively.
* The study did not find evidence of an indirect effect of vape shop advertising exposure on subsequent nicotine vaping, mediated through vaping expectancies.
* The study suggests that an effective way to mitigate the influence of cannabis advertisements on young adults' cannabis vaping is to counter the positive expectancies that these advertisements promote.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of addressing beliefs as part of prevention efforts for cannabis and nicotine vaping among young adults. Public health strategies, such as mass media prevention campaigns and regulations on marketing, can be effective in countering the positive expectancies promoted by cannabis advertisements. It is crucial to continue researching and developing effective interventions to reduce the use of these products among young adults.

DiGuiseppi GT, Dunbar MS, Tucker JS, et al. Examining indirect effects of advertising exposure on young adults’ cannabis and nicotine vaping. Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors. Published online April 10, 2023. doi:10.1037/adb0000921