Reddit Offers Young Cannabis Users Support, but Often Without Verifiable Information
A 2024 analysis of cannabis discussions on Reddit found that the platform can provide young users with detailed peer support while also leaving them exposed to advice based largely on personal experience rather than verifiable evidence.
Published in PLOS ONE, the study examined the adolescent-focused subreddit r/saplings, which describes itself as a place to learn about cannabis use and culture. The researchers analyzed 213 posts and 2,546 related comments drawn from selected periods between October 2019 and October 2020, including months before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most of the posts sought advice. Users asked about how to obtain cannabis, what to expect when using it, dosage, equipment, tolerance, the appearance of cannabis products and possible consequences—including health concerns, interactions with prescription medications, employment, housing and trouble with parents.
The conversations were often active and engaged. About 86% of the comments were classified as detailed or engaged, and the average post received 12 comments. Many replies were relevant to the original question, included follow-up questions or offered emotional support.
That responsiveness did not necessarily make the information reliable. The researchers found that most advice came from commenters’ opinions or personal experiences. Links to outside material were uncommon, and only two comments referred to what the researchers considered credible sources, such as a public health department.
The study therefore presents r/saplings as both a source of community and a potentially unreliable source of health information. Peer accounts may help users feel less isolated and can sometimes support harm-reduction efforts, but commenters may lack medical training and may unintentionally repeat inaccurate claims. The researchers also noted examples of advice about drug interactions that encouraged users to experiment rather than seek qualified guidance.
Discussions changed somewhat during the study period. Questions about where or how to obtain cannabis became more common during the first wave of the pandemic, while conversations about growing cannabis declined. Posts about future use, equipment, tolerance and consequences also varied across the different time periods.
The findings should not be interpreted as a survey of adolescents’ beliefs about Reddit. Because the platform is pseudonymous, the researchers could not verify users’ ages, identities or medical backgrounds; adults may also have participated in the subreddit. The study was a qualitative analysis of online conversations, not an experiment measuring whether Reddit advice caused cannabis use, reduced harm or changed health outcomes.
That distinction matters because the analysis identified a need for accessible, evidence-based information—not proof that Reddit itself is either safe or harmful. For young people seeking information about cannabis, resources from public-health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on cannabis and teens can provide a more dependable starting point than anonymous comments.
The broader research on cannabis policy and adolescent use is also more complicated than a simple claim that legalization either increases or decreases youth consumption. For example, a 2024 JAMA Pediatrics study examining data through 2021 reported that recreational cannabis legalization and retail sales were associated with changes in adolescent substance-use patterns, while emphasizing the need for continued research. Those policy findings are separate from the Reddit study and do not establish that online discussions influence youth use.
The central lesson from the r/saplings analysis is narrower but important: young people are using online communities to ask practical and health-related questions about cannabis, and those communities can offer connection without consistently offering dependable evidence. Clear, nonjudgmental and medically reviewed information presented in formats that fit the platforms young people already use could help preserve the supportive aspects of online discussion while reducing the risk of misinformation.
