Perceptions of Proposed Warnings for Cannabis Edibles Packaging

May 28, 2026 updated by: Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Perceptions of Proposed Warnings for Cannabis Edibles Packaging (Cannabis Edibles Aim 2 Experiment)

The purpose of this study is to compare a delayed-effects warning to an expanded warning developed in previous experiments on knowledge, harm perceptions, and willingness to try cannabis edibles. Additionally, this study will examine the effects of a corresponding icon on attention to and recall of the warning.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Cannabis edibles are rapidly leading the legal recreational cannabis market. The Cannabis edibles present health harms that are not typical of smoked marijuana, including accidental overconsumption of high levels of THC. One effective way to communicate proper dosing and risks of overconsumptions is through package warnings. This experiment will assign participants to view real cannabis edibles packaging with one of four variations of warnings and a series of questions to assess knowledge, harm perceptions, and willingness to try the product shown. One group of participants will serve as the control and will see the same cannabis edibles packaging without a warning.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

1250

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157
        • Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • English-speaking by self-selection
  • United States resident

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Already participated in a precursor project (IRB00104038, IRB000111438)
  • Eligible but demographic and user group strata have already been met

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: No Warning Control
One cannabis edibles package without a warning message.
Behavioral: No Warning Control
Participants in the control condition will see an edible cannabis package without a warning message.
Experimental: Delayed Effects Text Only
One cannabis edibles package with a warning containing a delayed effects message
Behavioral: Delayed Effects Text Only
Participants will see a cannabis edibles package with a warning message containing a delayed effects message.
Experimental: Delayed Effects Plus Icon
One cannabis edibles package with a warning containing a delayed effects message and a corresponding icon.
Behavioral: Delayed Effects Plus Icon
Participants will see a cannabis edibles package with a warning containing a delayed effects message and a corresponding icon.
Experimental: Delayed Effects Plus Dose
One cannabis edibles package with a warning containing delayed effects message and dosing instructions.
Behavioral: Delayed Effects Plus Dose
Participants will view a cannabis edibles package with a warning containing delayed effects message and dosing instructions.
Experimental: Delayed Effects Plus Dose Plus Adverse Effects
One cannabis edibles package with a warning containing delayed effects, dosing instructions, and adverse effects message.
Behavioral: Delayed Effects Plus Dose Plus Adverse Effects
Participants will view a cannabis edibles package with a warning containing delayed effects, dosing instructions, and adverse effects message.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Product appeal score
Time Frame: Minute 1

One item to assess the appeal of the product. Results will be reported as means.

Question: How appealing is this edible to you? Response options: (0) Not at all appealing to (10) Very appealing. Higher score denoting more appeal
Minute 1
Perception of product safety score
Time Frame: Minute 1

One item to assess the participants' perception of the safety of the product. Results will be presented as the frequency of each type of response.

Question: How safe do you think it would be to eat this edible? Response options: (1) Not at all safe, (2) Slightly safe, (3) Somewhat safe, (4) Moderately safe, (5) Very safe. Higher score denoting more safe to eat
Minute 1
Perceived likelihood of experiencing unwanted effects score
Time Frame: Minute 1

One item to assess the participants' perception of the likelihood of experiencing unwanted effects. Results will be presented as the frequency of each type of response.

Question: How likely are you to experience unwanted effects if you eat this edible? Response options: (1) Not at all likely, (2) Slightly likely, (3) Somewhat likely, (4) Moderately likely, (5) Very likely. Higher score denoting greater likelihood of experiencing side effects
Minute 1
Interest in a free sample score
Time Frame: Minute 1

One item to assess how interested a participant would be in a free sample of the product. Results will be presented as the frequency of each type of response.

Question: How interested would you be in a free sample of this edible? Response options: (1) Not at all interested, (2) Slightly interested, (3) Somewhat interested, (4) Moderately interested, (5) Very interested. Higher score denoting more interest
Minute 1
Concern about the risks of overconsumption due to warning score
Time Frame: Minute 1

One item to assess how much the warning makes the participant concerned about the risks of overconsumption for participants randomized to view a package with a warning (intervention conditions only). Results will be presented as the frequency of each type of response.

Question: How much does this warning make you concerned about potential risks from eating too much of this edible? Response options: (1) Not at all, (2) A little, (3) Somewhat, (4) Quite a bit, (5) A great deal. Higher score denotes more concern
Minute 1
Improved understanding of safe consumption due to warning score
Time Frame: Minute 1

One item to assess how much the warning gives the participant a better understanding of how to safely consume an edible (intervention conditions only). Results will be presented as the frequency of each type of response.

Question: How much does this warning give you a better understanding of how to safely consume this edible? Response options: (1) Not at all, (2) a little, (3) somewhat, (4) quite a bit, (5) a great deal. Higher score denotes better understanding of safety
Minute 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Warning recall
Time Frame: Minute 1

One item to assess the participant's recall of a warning message on the package. Results will be presented as the percentage correctly selected.

Question: Do you recall seeing a warning on the package we showed you earlier? Response Options: Yes, No
Minute 1
Attention Score
Time Frame: Minute 1

One measure to assess the extent to which the warning grabbed the participant's attention. Asked of those who recall seeing a warning on the package. Results will be presented as frequency of each type of response.

Question: How much did the warning grab your attention? Response options: (0) Not at all, (1) A little, (3) Somewhat, (4) A lot, Higher score denotes more attention
Minute 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Collaborators

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Beth Reboussin, PhD, Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 28, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 28, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB00146709
  • R01DA053209 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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