Synthetic Cannabinoids in Prisons: Content Analysis of TikToks.

Autor:	McMann TJ; Global Health Program Department of Anthropology University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA United States.; Global Health Policy and Data Institute San Diego, CA United States.; S-3 Research San Diego, CA United States., Calac A; Global Health Policy and Data Institute San Diego, CA United States.; Department of Anesthesiology University of California San Diego San Diego, CA United States., Nali M; Global Health Policy and Data Institute San Diego, CA United States.; S-3 Research San Diego, CA United States., Cuomo R; Global Health Policy and Data Institute San Diego, CA United States.; Department of Anesthesiology University of California San Diego San Diego, CA United States., Maroulis J; Global Health Policy and Data Institute San Diego, CA United States., Mackey TK; Global Health Program Department of Anthropology University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA United States.; Global Health Policy and Data Institute San Diego, CA United States.; S-3 Research San Diego, CA United States.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	JMIR infodemiology [JMIR Infodemiology] 2022 May 31; Vol. 2 (1), pp. e37632. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 May 31 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI:	10.2196/37632
Abstrakt:	Background: Synthetic cannabinoids are a significant public health concern, especially among incarcerated populations due to increased reports of abuse. Recent news reports have highlighted the severe consequences of K2/Spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, among the prison population in the United States. Despite regulations against cell phone use, inmates use TikTok to post K2/Spice-related content. Objective: This study aimed to examine TikTok posts for use and illicit distribution of psychoactive substances (eg, K2/Spice) among incarcerated populations. Methods: The study collected TikTok videos associated with the #k2spice hashtag and used a data collection approach similar to snowball sampling. Inductive coding was used to conduct content analysis of video characteristics. Videos were manually annotated to generate binary classifications related to the use of K2/Spice as well as selling and buying activities associated with it. Statistical analysis was used to determine associations between a video's user engagement and an intent to buy or sell K2/Spice. Results: A total of 89 TikTok videos with the hashtag #k2spice were manually coded, with 40% (n=36) identified as displaying the use, solicitation, or adverse effects of K2/Spice among the prison population. Of them, 44.44% (n=16) were in a prison-based setting documenting adverse effects including possible overdose. Videos with higher user engagement were positively correlated with comments indicating an intent to buy or sell K2/Spice. Conclusions: K2/Spice is a drug subject to abuse among prison inmates in the United States, including depictions of its harmful effects being recorded and shared on TikTok. Lack of policy enforcement on TikTok and the need for better access to treatment services within the prison system may be exacerbating substance use among this highly vulnerable population. Minimizing the potential individual harm of this content on the incarcerated population should be a priority for social media platforms and the criminal justice system alike. Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: TJM, MN, and TKM are employees of the startup company S-3 Research LLC. S-3 Research is a startup funded and currently supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse through a Small Business Innovation Research contract for opioid-related social media research and technology commercialization. Authors report no other conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript. (©Tiana J McMann, Alec Calac, Matthew Nali, Raphael Cuomo, James Maroulis, Tim K Mackey. Originally published in JMIR Infodemiology (https://infodemiology.jmir.org), 31.05.2022.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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