Oakland, CA—Brands selling intoxicating hemp products such as Delta-8 THC are using memes, cartoons and pop-culture references to market on Instagram while rarely warning about health risks or age limits, according to a new study in the journal Addiction.
Researchers analyzed 837 Instagram posts published between February 2024 and February 2025 from nine leading brands of products containing intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids (intoxicating hemp) such as Delta-8 THC, HHC and THC-P. Prior research shows that cannabis marketing, especially on social media, increases both positive perceptions of cannabis and its use, and that youth-oriented visuals are particularly appealing to young audiences.
Key findings:
- Nearly half of posts included youth-oriented content. Imagery and cultural cues such as memes, cartoons and pop-culture references appeared in 49.6% of the 837 posts analyzed.
- Recreational marketing was widespread. Fifty-two percent of posts promoted effects like relaxation and happiness or showed products in everyday social and leisure settings.
- Safety information was rare. Health and age warnings appeared in just 2.5% of posts.
- Appeals varied by product type. Beverage posts were the most aggressive—84.3% used recreational themes and 56.9% youth-oriented themes—followed by cartridges and vapes (53.5% youth-oriented) and edibles (49.2%).
"These findings show how brands selling intoxicating hemp products target youth audiences with dangerously few safeguards," said Alisa A. Padon, Ph.D., a study co-author and research director of Getting it Right from the Start (GIRFTS), a program of the Public Health Institute. "As Congress considers the future of these products, maintaining the federal prohibition scheduled to take effect in November is critical. Additionally, regulations that set standards for social media content are needed to restrict marketing these products to young people."
The nine brands evaluated were CannaAid, Cycling Frog, Delta Extrax, Elyxr, Fly Urb, Hometown Hero, Koi CBD, Mood and Official Canna River. Researchers coded each post for product descriptions and imagery, recreational appeals, youth-oriented cues, brand positioning, health claims and health and age warnings. The analysis builds on previous research by Dr. Padon and colleagues, which identified elements of cannabis marketing that appeal to young people .
Use of intoxicating hemp products has grown in the United States in recent years, alongside reported poisonings, emergency department visits and psychotic episodes. The study authors note that largely underregulated social media marketing may be contributing to that growth.
The findings come at a pivotal moment for federal policy. In 2025, Congress closed the 2018 Farm Bill loophole that let intoxicating hemp-derived products proliferate outside many of the safeguards governing state-regulated cannabis markets. Public Law 119-37, effective November 12, 2026, prohibits these products by narrowing the federal definition of hemp and capping THC per package. Those protections now face renewed challenges: the Senate has passed a bill—awaiting House approval—delaying the restrictions to December 11, 2026, and separate legislation (H.R. 9830) would replace the prohibition outright with a permissive framework allowing high THC levels and certain synthesized THC types.
"For years, public health experts warned that the loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill would lead to a largely unregulated market for intoxicating hemp products, including products that are easily accessible and appealing to young people. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened," said Lynn Silver, M.D., MPH, director of GIRFTS, who was not involved in the study. "Replacing the prohibition set forth in Public Law 119-37 with a new permissive regulatory framework will create a backdoor to a federally legal market for intoxicating THC products, bypassing both the state-regulated legal cannabis systems and state prohibitions. This study demonstrates why maintaining the federal prohibition is so important."
Study:
La Capria K, Meng S, Padon AA, Tillett KK, Donaldson SI, Allem JP, Rossheim ME, LoParco C, Berg CJ, Jackson KM, Chen-Sankey J. Marketing Features of Derived Intoxicating Cannabinoid Product Brands on Instagram: A Content Analysis. Addiction. 2026 Aug. volume/issue/pages. doi: (number)
