Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 6;19(6):e0304336.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304336. eCollection 2024.

A qualitative content analysis of cannabis-related discussions on Reddit during the COVID-19 pandemic

Affiliations

A qualitative content analysis of cannabis-related discussions on Reddit during the COVID-19 pandemic

Hannah Reygaerts et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Social media has become an increasingly important way to seek and share experiences, support, knowledge, and advice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reddit, a pseudonymous social media platform, was one way that young people interacted during the pandemic. Our study goals were two-fold: (1) to categorize information sought and provided by users of r/saplings, a subreddit devoted to cannabis use and is often used by young people, and (2) to examine if conversations changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We extracted 213 randomly selected posts and 2,546 related comments across four time periods (before the pandemic, during the first wave, summer, and next fall). We assessed the volume of posts and comments throughout our study period and conducted a qualitative content analysis. Quantitatively, the findings demonstrated an increase in the number of posts and comments throughout the study period. Given the substantial growth in subreddit activity throughout our study period, Reddit may play an increasingly important role in youth socialization related to cannabis. From the content analysis, we identified three major themes: how to acquire cannabis, how to use cannabis, and associated consequences. Reddit-users prioritized certain content in their posts at different stages of the pandemic. 'Places to acquire' and 'future use' were most common at the beginning of the pandemic, while the theme of 'consequences' and the topic of 'tolerance' became more prominent during the summer months. The comments to these posts were generally thorough and responsive to the post. Nearly all the information came from opinions or personal experiences. Firstly, our findings suggest that young people viewed Reddit as a viable outlet for conversations about cannabis. Secondly, due to the nature of the peer comments and lack of verifiable information being exchanged, misinformation may still circulate and inadvertently worsen the efforts to reduce cannabis-related harm. Interventions that provide understandable and accurate cannabis-related information in accessible formats may increase young people's ability to access and practice harm reduction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Number of posts and comments on r/saplings during the study period.

Similar articles

References

    1. Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, Woodland L, Wessely S, Greenberg N, et al.. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet. 2020. Mar 14;395(10227):912–20. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bu F, Steptoe A, Fancourt D. Who is lonely in lockdown? Cross-cohort analyses of predictors of loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health. 2020. Sep;186:31–4. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.06.036 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Graupensperger S, Benson AJ, Kilmer JR, Evans MB. Social (Un)distancing: Teammate Interactions, Athletic Identity, and Mental Health of Student-Athletes During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Adolesc Health. 2020. Nov;67(5):662–70. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.08.001 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hamilton JL, Nesi J, Choukas-Bradley S. Teens and social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: Staying socially connected while physically distant [Internet]. PsyArXiv; 2020. [cited 2023 Oct 5]. https://psyarxiv.com/5stx4/
    1. Jia R, Ayling K, Chalder T, Massey A, Broadbent E, Morling JR, et al.. Young people, mental health and COVID-19 infection: the canaries we put in the coal mine. Public Health. 2020. Dec;189:158–61. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.10.018 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.