San Diego, CA: Residents in states where the adult-use cannabis market is criminalized are nearly twice as likely to engage in online searches for delta-8-THC products than are those who live in jurisdictions where marijuana is legal, according to data compiled by the group CBD Nationwide.
The group reported that searches for delta-8 products are 1.9 times higher in states where the adult-use cannabis market is illegal – a finding that is consistent with those of other studies.
Although delta-8 THC occurs organically in the cannabis plant, it is typically only produced in nominal quantities. By contrast, the elevated quantities of delta-8 THC found in commercially available products are typically the result of a chemical synthesis whereby manufacturers convert hemp-derived CBD to delta-8 THC. Manufacturers engaged in synthesizing delta-8 THC are not regulated and may use potentially dangerous household products to facilitate this process. Lab analyses of unregulated delta-8 products have consistently found them to contain lower levels of the compound than advertised on the products’ labels. Some products have also been found to possess heavy metal contaminants and unlabeled cutting agents.
Data published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) similarly determined that consumers are much more likely to acknowledge using unregulated delta-8 products in states where cannabis is prohibited.
In 2022, NORML issued a report on delta-8 THC and other novel, synthetically derived cannabinoids that cautioned consumers to avoid these unregulated products because they are untested and may contain impurities.
Full results of the analysis are available from CBD Nationwide. Additional information is available in the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘NORML’s Guide to Delta-8 THC and Other Novel Cannabinoids.’