Teen delta-8 use rising, now equates to 1-2 students in average class size, study shows
A new survey has found that more teens are experimenting with delta-8, a chemical compound found in hemp and cannabis plants.
Approximately 11% of 12th-graders across the U.S. reported using the intoxicating substance in 2023. To put the findings into perspective, that is "at least one or two students in every average-sized high school class," the National Institutes of Health that funded the "Monitoring the Future" survey, said.
Of the students using delta-8, 91% of them also admitted to marijuana use. Delta-8 use was found to be more common in the South and Midwest regions in states where the drug is banned, but marijuana use does not differ much from state to state, according to the survey.
"We don’t know enough about these drugs, but we see that they are already extremely accessible to teens,” Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse said of the findings.
“Cannabis use in general has been associated with negative impacts on the adolescent brain, so we must pay attention to the kinds of cannabis products teens are using," Volkow said.
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The impacts of Delta-8
The FDA released guidelines strongly warning against the consumption of delta-8 products in part because of the dangerous synthetics that can be used in its refinement from CBD, USA TODAY previously reported. Synthetic conversion, the FDA said, can involve unsafe household chemicals that can be harmful if ingested or inhaled.
According to the FDA, adverse reactions to delta-8 THC include:
- hallucinations
- vomiting
- tremors
- anxiety
- dizziness
- confusion
- loss of consciousness
Part of the risk associated with these products is the variability in labeling and the lack of potency limits. Since delta-8 products are not made directly from plant extracts but instead from the cannabidiols in hemp, the concentration is much higher, sometimes causing users to ingest more than is wise even if they are basing it on previously high tolerance levels.
Delta-8 products – like smokable flower, tinctures, joints, vapes, gummies and other treats – may also contain trace amounts of delta-9 and delta-10, more potent forms of THC.
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What is delta-8?
Delta-8 is a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. It is psychoactive, meaning it can get you "high," though most users describe it as a sort of "diet weed" with weaker effects than delta-9 THC, the intoxicating component found in marijuana, USA TODAY previously reported.
The difference between the two is that while both delta-8 and delta-9 come from cannabis, delta-8 is found in the hemp variety of the plant, while delta-9 is not. That's an important distinction because hemp is legal at the federal level whereas marijuana, which contains delta-9, is not.