Navigating the Cannabis Conversation: Separating Fact From Fear

Research into health reporting reveals a consistent pattern of media misinformation, especially related to health and science. Headlines and news stories often misrepresent studies through omissions, misrepresentation of their design, sensationalism, and exaggeration of key findings (J Sci Commun 2022;21:A06). Traditional media struggling with misinformation is not a new phenomenon, but social media has made this problem much worse due to the rapid spread of viral stories, algorithms creating echo chambers, and the lack of fact-checking mechanisms.