Point-of-sale marketing and context of marijuana retailers: Assessing reliability and generalizability of the marijuana retail surveillance tool

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Carla Berg, Emory University; Lisa Henriksen, Stanford University; Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, Washington University; Gillian L. Schauer, University of Washington; Bridget Freisthler, Ohio State University
• Language: English
• Date: 2018-09-01
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2018 The Author(s)
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.05.010
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Preventive Medicine Reports
• ISSN: 2211-3355
• Volume: 11
• Start Page: 37
• End Page: 41
• Grant/Funding Information: The funders had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.; This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute (1R01CA179422-01; PI: Berg; R01-CA217165; PI: Henriksen) and the National Institute for Drug Abuse (R01-DA032715; PI: Freisthler).
• Keywords: Measure development; Retail environment; Recreational marijuana; Marijuana use; Marketing
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Social Work; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

As recreational marijuana expands, standardized surveillance measures examining the retail environment are critical for informing policy and enforcement. We conducted a reliability and generalizability study using a previously developed tool involving assessment of a sample of 25 randomly selected Seattle recreational marijuana retailers (20 recreational; 5 recreational/medical) in 2017. The tool assessed: 1) contextual/neighborhood features (i.e., facilities nearby); 2) compliance/security (e.g., age-of-sale signage, age verification); and 3) marketing (i.e., promotions, product availability, price). We found that retailers were commonly within two blocks of restaurants (n = 23), grocery stores (n = 17), liquor stores (n = 13), and bars/clubs (n = 11). Additionally, two were within two blocks of schools, and four were within two blocks of parks. Almost all (n = 23) had exterior signage indicating the minimum age requirement, and 23 verified age. Two retailers had exterior ads for marijuana, and 24 had interior ads. Overall, there were 76 interior ads (M = 3.04; SD = 1.84), most commonly for edibles (n = 28). At least one price promotion/discount was recorded in 17 retailers, most commonly in the form of loyalty membership programs (n = 10) or daily/weekly deals (n = 10). One retailer displayed potential health harms/warnings, while three posted some health claim. Products available across product categories were similar; we also noted instances of selling retailer-branded apparel/ paraphernalia (which is prohibited). Lowest price/unit across product categories demonstrated low variability across retailers. This study documented high inter-rater reliability of the surveillance tool (Kappas = 0.73 to 1.00). In conclusion, this tool can be used in future research and practice aimed at examining retailers marketing practices and regulatory compliance.