McMann Tiana J, Calac Alec, Nali Matthew, Cuomo Raphael, Maroulis James, Mackey Tim K
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.
JMIR Infodemiology. 2022 May 31;2(1):e37632. doi: 10.2196/37632. eCollection 2022 Jan-Jun.
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.
This study aimed to examine TikTok posts for use and illicit distribution of psychoactive substances (eg, K2/Spice) among incarcerated populations.
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.
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.
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.
合成大麻素是一个重大的公共卫生问题，尤其是在被监禁人群中，因为滥用报告有所增加。最近的新闻报道强调了合成大麻素K2/Spice在美国监狱人群中造成的严重后果。尽管有禁止使用手机的规定，但囚犯仍利用TikTok发布与K2/Spice相关的内容。
本研究旨在调查TikTok上关于被监禁人群使用和非法分销精神活性物质（如K2/Spice）的帖子。
该研究收集了与#k2spice标签相关的TikTok视频，并采用了类似于滚雪球抽样的数据收集方法。使用归纳编码对视频特征进行内容分析。视频被手动标注，以生成与K2/Spice使用以及与之相关的买卖活动有关的二元分类。采用统计分析来确定视频的用户参与度与买卖K2/Spice意图之间的关联。
总共对89个带有#k2spice标签的TikTok视频进行了手动编码，其中40%（n = 36）被确定为展示了监狱人群中K2/Spice的使用、招揽或不良影响。其中，44.44%（n = 16）是在监狱环境中记录包括可能过量用药在内的不良影响的视频。用户参与度较高的视频与表明有买卖K2/Spice意图的评论呈正相关。
K2/Spice是一种在美国监狱囚犯中容易被滥用的药物，包括其有害影响的描述在TikTok上被记录和分享。TikTok上缺乏政策执行以及监狱系统内需要更好地提供治疗服务，可能正在加剧这一高度脆弱人群的物质使用情况。将此类内容对被监禁人群的潜在个人伤害降至最低，应成为社交媒体平台和刑事司法系统的首要任务。
