"Time for dabs": Analyzing Twitter data on marijuana concentrates across the U.S

Area of Science:

• Drug Abuse Research
• Social Media Analysis
• Cannabis Epidemiology

Background:

• Media reports suggest rising popularity of marijuana concentrates (dabs).
• Limited data exists on the epidemiology of marijuana concentrate use.
• This study explores Twitter data to understand dabs usage patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Twitter data on marijuana concentrate use in the U.S.
• To identify regional differences in concentrate use based on cannabis policies.
• To contribute to the understanding of drug abuse through social media analysis.

Main Methods:

• Collected 125,255 tweets between October 20 and December 20, 2014, using Twitter's streaming API.
• Filtered and analyzed dabs-related tweets using the eDrugTrends platform.
• Calculated adjusted percentages of dabs-related tweets per state and used permutation tests to assess differences based on cannabis legalization.

Main Results:

• Nearly 22% of collected tweets had identifiable state-level geolocation.
• Adjusted dabs-related tweet percentages were significantly higher in states with legalized recreational and/or medical cannabis.
• Conversely, states without medical cannabis laws showed the lowest percentages of dabs-related tweets.

Conclusions:

• Twitter data suggests greater popularity of marijuana concentrates (dabs) in states with legalized cannabis.
• This research offers insights into the epidemiology of dabs use.
• Highlights the utility of social media analysis in drug abuse research.