Marijuana Ads Reach Teens More Than Any Other Age Group

The cannabis industry insists its marketing targets adults only. A landmark study published in January 2026 in Drug and Alcohol Review disagrees, and the numbers back it up. When it comes to cannabis marketing and youth, marijuana ads reach teens at the highest rate of any age group surveyed.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo collected survey responses from 99,132 Americans aged 16 to 65. They gathered data annually between 2018 and 2023 across 20 states with legal recreational cannabis sales. A striking 63% of respondents aged 16 to 20 noticed cannabis marketing in the past 12 months. That was the highest rate of any age group. Young people too young to legally buy cannabis saw the most ads.

Where Marijuana Ads Reach Teens Most

The study covered 11 distinct marketing channels. Billboards and posters topped the list at 25.8%. Outside retail stores came second at 24.1%, and social media placed third at 19.7%.

The breakdown by age is where things get troubling. People aged 16 to 20 reported the most exposure across websites, outside cannabis stores, billboards and posters, and social media. These are the exact spaces young people use daily. Cannabis marketing and youth collide most in these channels, and that is the core problem.

Social media makes regulation especially difficult. By age 18, roughly 90% of Americans have used social media. More than a third start by age 13. Many states only require that a certain proportion of an audience be aged 21 or older, rather than banning access entirely. That approach is clearly not working. Marijuana ads still reach teens through these platforms every day.

Do Stricter Rules Cut Cannabis Marketing to Youth?

The researchers grouped states into three tiers by the strength of their marketing restrictions. States with low restrictions saw 61.4% of residents notice cannabis ads. States with moderate restrictions were nearly the same at 61.8%. Only the highest restriction tier produced a real drop, with 53.4% noticing ads.

Comprehensive billboard and poster restrictions drove exposure down from 20.8% to 11.2%. Sports event restrictions brought figures down from 4.9% to 4.2%. Those are meaningful reductions. But partial rules produced no meaningful change at all. Decades of tobacco research show the same pattern. Half measures on marketing do not work. Only comprehensive restrictions shift the numbers.

Marijuana Ads Reach Teens Despite Protection Promises

Nearly every US state with a legal cannabis market claims to protect minors from cannabis marketing. The data says otherwise.

Even states with strong advertising rules often leave a major gap. Restrictions frequently do not cover brand promotion where no specific product appears. A business can run promotions for its store and brand image, with photos and slogans, as long as it shows no actual product. That is a wide loophole. Canada closes it entirely. Canadian law bans promotion of brand elements and prohibits virtually all publicly visible cannabis advertising. The gap between US and Canadian approaches is significant.

The study also found that cannabis marketing and youth exposure becomes a bigger problem after recreational legalisation, not before. Young people notice more cannabis ads than older age groups specifically once legal markets open. Stronger rules need to be in place from day one.

The New York Times Reversal Adds Weight to These Findings

This research arrives at a timely moment. The New York Times recently reversed its long-held editorial stance on cannabis legalisation. It acknowledged risks that previous coverage underplayed. Mental health impacts on young people and the failure of existing protections both featured in that reassessment.

The concern that marijuana ads reach teens is not just procedural. Studies consistently link early exposure to advertising with earlier cannabis use, higher rates of cannabis use disorder, and greater risk of psychosis in adolescents. Exposure and use reinforce each other. Teens who see more ads are more likely to use cannabis, and teens who use cannabis are more likely to seek out and notice ads. That cycle makes cannabis marketing and youth a serious public health issue.

What Needs to Change

Researchers call for stronger restrictions and outright prohibitions in channels where cannabis marketing and youth most clearly intersect. Billboards and outside-store advertising are easier to regulate than digital platforms. Compliance with digital rules has been consistently low across multiple studies. Better rules need better enforcement.

The suggestion is straightforward. Regulators need broader restrictions and real oversight. Without both, marijuana ads will keep reaching teens. Data from nearly 100,000 respondents over six years makes one thing plain. The current system is not protecting young people. The promises are not being kept.

Source: thedrugreport