Characterization of Women's Health Benefit Claims Made on Cannabis E-Commerce Platforms: A Retrospective Market Surveillance Study.

Abstract

Consumer interest in cannabis-derived products remains high, including among women, a growing demographic group. This study examined women's reproductive health claims in cannabis-derived product e-commerce listings to better understand their potential consumer risk. This study involved 3 phases: (1) data mining U.S. product listings from cannabis e-commerce websites Leafly and Weedmaps; (2) keyword filtering related to women's health and reproductive topics; and (3) content coding of cannabis-derived product listings for women's health benefits, including product characteristics, such as route of administration, and any accompanying health warnings and user-generated reviews all conducted in September-November 2023. A total of 1,463,510 unique cannabis-derived product listings were collected from Leafly and Weedmaps. After keyword filtering and content coding, 408 listings mapped to 465 health benefit claims across 5 major women's health areas: menstrual cycle (57.2%, n=266), fertility (14.0%, n=65), women's health conditions (13.1%, n=61), menopausal transition (15.0%, n=70), and maternal health (0.7%, n=3). Among these 408 cannabis-derived product listings, only 6.6% (n=27) contained disclaimers with health warning language. For products making women's health claims, the top product route of administration was topical/transdermal application (e.g., dermatological agents, transdermal products, n=135). Product reviews contained 14 comments with thematic relevance to stated health benefit claim(s), including with 12 (85.7%) positive and 2 (14.3%) negative. This study found >400 unique cannabis-derived products promoting various women-focused health benefits on 2 cannabis e-commerce sites, despite known reproductive and maternal health risks. Additional research is needed to understand how women perceive these marketed benefits and how they influence product use and behavior.