Medical Cannabis in Malaysia: Supply and Demand on Facebook

Abstract

The internet has become a key hub for communication and information, including drug-related information. Evidence from other nations suggests that medical cannabis is also available online. Yet little is known about medical cannabis dealing on online services in Malaysia. This study examines the current supply and demand of medical cannabis on Malaysian Facebook Pages. Researchers searched for cannabis Facebook Pages in Malay and English between April and June 2022, using the keywords associated with cannabis and marijuana in popular search engines. The Facebook content, including the posts and users’ responses to supply and demand information for medical cannabis, were screened and analysed. Subsequently, the contents of the Facebook Pages were categorised into five themes: (1) demand for medical cannabis; (2) testimony; (3) supply information; (4) adverse health effects of medical cannabis; and (5) product types and routes of administration. The findings indicate that medical cannabis is available online and searchable via popular search engines, despite being illegal in Malaysia. A total of 46 Facebook Pages related to cannabis were identified in this study, where 13 pages sell medical cannabis directly, and 3 sell both medical and recreational cannabis. In addition to private messages via Facebook Messenger, most pages share contact details. The information on the sampled Facebook Pages reflected the growing demand and illegal sales of medical cannabis in Malaysia via online platforms since 2012. Thus, there is an urgent need for proper regulations and laws to control medical cannabis usage besides protecting patients against potentially harmful medical cannabis online.