You Shall Not Pass? The Design of Age Gates in an Emerging Cannabis Market

    Research output: Contribution to specialist publicationArticle

    1 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Age gates are becoming common on the websites of cannabis dispensaries, following design practices in other controversial industries. Yet, age gates can typically be bypassed through trial and error or basic arithmetic, raising questions over best practices. This study therefore characterized the age gates of dispensaries licensed in the Arizona adult use cannabis program, using a “digital mystery shopper” approach to examine the age gates’ location, appearance, and performance. After presenting the results, I outline possible best practices and next steps for technical and professional communicators.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Specialist publicationJournal of Technical Writing and Communication
    DOIs
    StateAccepted/In press - 2022

    Keywords

    • age gate
    • Arizona
    • cannabis
    • compliance
    • content analysis
    • controversial industries
    • design
    • marijuana
    • mystery shopping
    • public health

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Education
    • Communication

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