The FDA should crack down on marijuana misinformation on social media

Marijuana is now legal for medicinal purposes in more than 30 states. I have several friends and colleagues who swear by cannabis products to help them sleep or ease their back pain. I’m happy they found something to address their ailments. But marijuana’s legal status in some states and the health benefits touted by companies is often hyped far beyond any basis in science. 

Much of the language endorsing marijuana for medicinal purposes has been misleading consumers for years. Social media magnifies the problem, providing fertile ground for marijuana companies to make baseless claims about the therapeutic benefits to mental health, diabetes or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. There isn’t comprehensive medical or scientific evidence for the vast majority of these health claims — mostly just strategic marketing. What’s more, the claims aren’t benign.

As Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said during this year’s Health Datapalooza conference, “purposeful misinformation” is a growing problem in our society and “members of the public are coming to believe facts that don’t exist.” Dubious claims about marijuana fall into that misinformation category; the good news is that Dr. Califf’s agency can help address the problem.

That National Consumers League, where I serve as health policy director, in partnership with Data Science Solutions, took a close look at Twitter activity coming from marijuana companies. We found that millions of consumers are receiving misleading and even outright dangerous messaging about marijuana’s health benefits.

If people with serious illness are convinced that marijuana products can treat their condition, they run the risk of delaying proven and effective treatments. Sadly, these unscrupulous companies prioritize profits over patient health and consumer safety. 

Data Science Solution’s research found that health-related tweets by marijuana companies have exploded, from only a couple hundred a month in 2012 to well over 3,000 monthly in 2020. Our research identified three primary categories into which these social media posts fall: 

• Direct claims about how products can mitigate, treat or prevent specific diseases. For example, one cannabis company tweeted that cannabis has been used to help women during pregnancy and in active labor.

• Citing academic studies or using scientific terminology to give an aura of authoritative validity. A multi-state medical and recreational marijuana dispensary tweeted that cannabis is a treatment for autism, citing an Israeli study that followed fewer than 200 patients over just a six-month period. In fact, the analysis found that much of the academic research in these tweets is preliminary or methodologically weak. 

• Using consumer testimonials as expert opinions to convey credibility. One cannabis seller in Washington state amplified “Tracy’s story.” Tracy is a 17-year-old who supposedly beat breast cancer with the use of cannabis extract. This is highly problematic; cannabis is not recognized by the FDA as a treatment for any disease, let alone a potentially fatal disease such as breast cancer.

What can be done about these dangerous tactics used to sell cannabis products? Ultimately, the marijuana companies themselves should support legitimate scientific research into the health benefits of their products. If they want people to consume their products to help treat disease, they should invest in proving what marijuana can do, rather than making unscientific and dangerous claims. But it seems federal action is needed.

The FDA has sent several warning letters to firms marketing unapproved new drugs containing cannabis that claim to treat cancer and other diseases. But more should be done to protect consumers. 

First, the FDA must crack down on these false and dangerous claims, using its automated algorithms to monitor marijuana companies’ social media posts. We know this works as many marijuana companies have rolled back their false health claims after receiving warning letters from the FDA.

The same needs to happen with social media. With the proper technological oversight and strict enforcement of terms of usage from the tech companies, companies could take down false claims and the FDA could respond swiftly when a false health claim hits the Twitterverse. 

Finally, Congress should direct the FDA to expand its enforcement and provide additional resources to monitor false and deceptive claims about cannabis products.

Robin Strongin is health policy director for the National Consumers League. She can be reached at robins@nclnet.org.