Columbus, OH: Jurisdictions that criminalize marijuana experience significantly higher rates of adverse events related to the use of delta-8-THC products, according to data published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology. Commercially available delta-8 products are unregulated and typically vary greatly in their potency and purity.
Investigators affiliated with Ohio State University’s College of Medicine analyzed nearly 5,000 incidents reported to poison control centers involving the ingestion of delta-8-THC products.
They reported that the majority of delta-8 exposures nationwide occurred in the southern region of the United States, where the adult use of cannabis is largely prohibited.
“The rate of ∆8-THC exposures reported to PCs [poison control centers] was significantly lower among states … where cannabis use was legal,” the study’s authors concluded. “Consistent regulation of ∆8-THC across all states should be adopted.”
The study’s findings are consistent with those of others reporting that consumers’ interest and use of delta-8-THC products is greater in states where marijuana remains illegal.
Although the 2018 Farm Bill tasked the US Food and Drug Administration with regulating hemp-derived products, the agency has thus far failed to do so. Last year, regulators with the agency responded that Congress – not the FDA – must take primary responsibility for creating a regulatory framework overseeing the commercial production and marketing of hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
NORML and other groups have urged the FDA to establish regulatory guidelines governing the production, testing, labeling, and marketing of hemp-derived CBD products. In 2021, 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 text of the study, “Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol exposures reported to US poison control centers: Variations among US states and regions associated with public policy,” appears in the Journal of Medical Toxicology.Additional information is available in the report NORML’s Guide to Delta-8 THC and Other Novel Cannabinoids.