JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cannabis consumption has increased in recent years, as has cannabis use disorder (CUD). While researchers have explored public online communities involving discussions of active cannabis use, less is known about the popularity and content of publicly available online communities intended to support cannabis cessation.

Objective:

There are three goals of the present study. First, to examine the use of a subreddit cannabis cessation community (r/leaves) over time to evaluate the popularity of this type of resource for individuals who want to stop using cannabis. Second, to examine the content of posts in the community to identify popular topics related to cessation. Third, to compare the thematic findings relative to the 4 domains of SAMHSA’s definition of recovery. By examining these three gaps, we take the initial steps to understanding the experiences being shared on these sites among individuals interested in cannabis cessation, and are able to compare them with the principles outlined in the SAMHSA definition of recovery.

Methods:

Using the Pushshift API, we collected the count of posts by year between 2011 and 2021, and the top 100 posts per year, in a popular cannabis cessation-focused subreddit (r/leaves). A linear and non-linear model were compared to evaluate the trend of number of posts by year. Mixed natural language processing (NLP) and qualitative analyses were applied to identify top terms, phrases, and themes present in posts over time. Overlap between themes and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 4 domains of recovery (health, purpose, community, home) were examined.

Results:

The number of posts in r/leaves by year increased from 420 in 2011 to 34,841 in 2021 (83-fold increase), with exponential growth since 2018. The top term across all posts was ‘smoke’ (n=2019). Five major themes were identified, and represented a narrative arc, from proactive engagement of cannabis use, to the negative consequences of use, to strategies to change behaviors, and the positive and negative consequences of change. There was substantial overlap between these five themes and 3 of SAMHSA’s 4 domains of recovery: health, purpose and community. However, the domain of home was less commonly identified.

Conclusions:

Engagement in online cannabis support communities appears to be increasing. Individuals using this forum discuss a number of topics, including multiple aspects of recovery defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Online communities may serve as an important pathway for individuals seeking to reduce or cease their consumption of cannabis.