Abstract
BackgroundOur study aims to evaluate the trends in online information about cannabis and kratom on Facebook in Thailand, where there is current discussion regarding legalizing these drugs.MethodsBetween April and November 2015, reviewers searched for cannabis and kratom Facebook pages in the Thai language via the common search engines. Content analysis was performed and the contents of each page were categorized by the tone of the post (positive, negative or neutral). Then, a one-year follow-up search was conducted to compare the contents.ResultsTwelve Facebook pages each were initially identified for cannabis and for kratom. Follower numbers were higher for cannabis pages. Kratom pages were less active but were open for a longer time. Posts with positive tones and neutral tones were found for both drugs, but none had negative tones. Other drugs were mentioned on the cannabis pages, but they were different from those mentioned on the kratom pages. Issues regarding drug legalization were found on the cannabis pages but not on the kratom pages during the searching period. One year later, the tone of the posts was in the same direction, but the page activity had increased.ConclusionsThe information currently available on the sampled Facebook pages was positive towards the use of cannabis and kratom. No information about harm from these drugs was found through our search.
Highlights
Our study aims to evaluate the trends in online information about cannabis and kratom on Facebook in Thailand, where there is current discussion regarding legalizing these drugs
Cannabis use is related to many psychological conditions, cardiovascular events, respiratory tract problems and cognitive impairment [10, 28], while kratom could be associated with stimulant effects and opioid-like side effects
This study aims to evaluate the trend of online information on Facebook pages devoted to cannabis and kratom [5] by categorizing their content based on positive, negative, and neutral tones, determining page activities and noting what other drugs are mentioned in conjunction with cannabis or kratom
Summary
Our study aims to evaluate the trends in online information about cannabis and kratom on Facebook in Thailand, where there is current discussion regarding legalizing these drugs. Due to the potential harm, together with the possibility of misuse by users, the Thai Narcotics Control Division has categorized these plants as illicit drug. These two drugs have been reported to have various medicinal benefits. Many organizations or groups of people who advocate for legalization use the potential medical benefits of these drugs to drive law changes. Thailand is still in discussion regarding legalizing these drugs As they are still illegal drugs, people are influenced to obtain them from routes outside of government regulation.
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