Top drug official raises alarm over Delta-8 THC use among 12th graders

by Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech - 03/12/24 11:35 AM ET

Delta-8, which contains tetrahydrocannabinol, which the FDA says has not been evaluated or approved "for safe use and may be marketed in ways that put the public health at risk," according to the federal government website, is being marketed in the mid-Atlantic area, including in stores like this one in downtown Baltimore on May 12, 2022. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

A top drug official is urging Americans to pay attention to the kinds of cannabis products teens are using and alert them to the risks associated, after a recent study noting high school seniors reported using the psychoactive substance delta-8 in the past year.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, found roughly 11 percent of high school seniors in the United States reported having used delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as delta-8, in the past year.

“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, educate young people about potential risks, and ensure that treatment for cannabis use disorder and adequate mental health care is provided to those who need it,” Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in a press release accompanying the study.

Delta-8 is a psychoactive substance usually derived from hemp that is very similar to the chemical most commonly found in the marijuana plant — delta-9-THC.

Delta-9 is responsible for the high people experience when using cannabis.

Products containing Delta-8 are sometimes marketed as offering a milder high than those with Delta-9. But warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration stress that the substance is potentially dangerous and has led to accidental poisonings.

“11% is a lot of people – that’s at least one or two students in every average-sized high school class who may be using delta-8. We don’t know enough about these drugs, but we see that they are already extremely accessible to teens,” Volkow warned.

There is no federal minimum age requirement to purchase delta-8 products such as gummies or flavored vapes. They are easily accessible to minors online or in convenience stores.

The study showed that delta-8 use was higher in Southern and Midwestern states without cannabis legalization or regulations on delta products.

Tags cannabis Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Delta-8 Food and Drug Administration National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institutes of Health Nora Volkow THC