Delta-8 THC Use Among U.S. High-School Seniors Was Higher Where Marijuana Laws Were More Restrictive
A 2023 national survey found that delta-8 THC use among U.S. high-school seniors was more common in states without legal adult-use marijuana or state regulations covering delta-8 products. The findings, published in JAMA, point to a significant gap in surveillance and oversight of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabis products.
Researchers from the University of Southern California, the University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University analyzed data from the federally funded Monitoring the Future survey. The analysis included 2,186 12th-grade students in 27 states who answered questions about delta-8 THC during the survey administered from February through June 2023.
Overall, 11.4% of students reported using a delta-8 THC product at least once in the previous 12 months. Among those who reported use, 35.4% said they had used delta-8 on at least 10 occasions during that period. Most—90.7%—also reported using marijuana, suggesting that delta-8 is not used exclusively as an alternative to conventional cannabis.
Use varied by state policy. About 14.0% of seniors in states without legal adult-use marijuana reported past-year delta-8 use, compared with 8.0% in states where adult-use marijuana was legal. The difference was larger when researchers compared states with and without delta-8 regulations: use was reported by 14.4% of students in states without such rules and 5.7% in states that regulated delta-8 products.
The study also found regional differences. Past-year delta-8 use was highest in the South, at 14.3%, and lower in the West, at 5.0%. The researchers identified additional differences across racial and ethnic groups, but found no significant differences by sex or parental education.
These results do not show that marijuana prohibition or delta-8 regulation directly causes higher or lower adolescent use. The study was a cross-sectional analysis based on students’ self-reported behavior, so it can identify associations but cannot establish cause and effect. State policies may also reflect other differences in product availability, enforcement, marketing, or patterns of cannabis use.
Delta-8 THC is a psychoactive cannabinoid that occurs naturally in cannabis in small amounts and is commonly produced commercially from hemp-derived CBD. It can produce intoxicating effects similar to those associated with delta-9 THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the health effects of delta-8 THC are not yet well understood and that product contents can be unpredictable.
Federal regulators have also raised safety concerns. The Food and Drug Administration says delta-8 products have not been evaluated or approved for safe use and has received reports involving hallucinations, vomiting, anxiety, confusion, loss of consciousness, and other adverse events. Some products are sold as gummies, candies, or other foods that may appeal to children.
Because the survey found an appreciable level of use among adolescents—and a particularly high prevalence in states without delta-8 rules—the authors called for better monitoring, clearer product standards, and public-health efforts aimed at young people and their families. The findings also reinforce the need to distinguish delta-8 products from non-intoxicating hemp or CBD products and to communicate that “hemp-derived” does not mean risk-free.
