According to a federally-funded study published by the American Medical Association, people in states where marijuana use is prohibited are more likely to use products containing lesser known cannabinoids, such as delta-8 THC. This suggests that the prohibition of marijuana may “intentionally” promote the usage of these loosely regulated products.
The research letter published on Wednesday in JAMA Network Open contains, according to the researchers, the first ever set of scientific data regarding use trends of emerging cannabinoids, such as delta-8-THC, CBG, and CBN. It also includes updated figures on the consumption of CBD product.
Researchers at the University of Michigan and Legacy Research Institute examined survey data collected from 1,169 adults between June 22-26. Results showed that CBD use has increased by 50% since 2019. More than one in five Americans (21%) reported using CBD non-intoxicating cannabis oil during the past year.
This is a significant progression. It’s likely due to the availability of CBD, and other cannabinoids after the federal legalization hemp and its derivatives in the 2018 Farm Bill.
In total, 25 percent of respondents said they had used an emerging cannabinoid within the last year. Around 12 percent of respondents reported using delta-8 THC. CBG was used by 5.2 percent and CBN was used by 4.4 percent.
The study states that “higher delta-8 THC use in States without Medical or Adult-Use Cannabis Laws suggests that cannabis prohibition might unintentionally encourage delta-8 THC use.”
People who lived in states where cannabis was not legal were twice as likely to use delta-8 THC.
This reinforces a trend that has been identified by numerous studies in recent years: giving people legal access to regulated cannabis products will divert them from using unregulated marijuana. In this instance, people who live in states that are not legal are able to take advantage of the grey-market of cannabinoids. These products may technically be legal under federal hemp laws, but they are being increasingly targeted on state markets because of the lack of regulations and data about the health effects of products such as delta-8 THC.
The study concluded that “Based on these findings, we support continued public health surveillance efforts targeted at emerging cannabinoids due to lack of industry standards for protecting consumers and similar pharmacology and effects of delta-9THC and its hemp derived impairing analogs (eg. delta-8-THC), something which could be of special concern for adolescents and younger adults.”
It says that “our results emphasize the importance of future studies to better understand perceptions about safety, motivations for using these products, and outcomes from their use.”
The National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institutes of Health funded the study in part. announced a funding opportunity last year for research projects looking at “minor” cannabisoids.
Legislators, industry players and advocates have different perspectives on how to deal with emerging cannabinoids. Some states, for instance, have banned or restricted their sale. Others are pushing to revise federal rules that regulate intoxicating cannabis separate from CBD.
State marijuana regulators have asked Congress to examine policies that include the entire class of cannabinoids , not just CBD.
It is expected that Congress will discuss the issue in the negotiations for the next Farm Bill, which was delayed until next after the current legislation had been temporarily extended.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has stated that it considers synthetically produced cannabinoids to be illegal. This is the common practice with delta-8 THC. However, despite this, the market for these products has thrived despite limited enforcement.
The Food and Drug Administration has been criticized for its refusal to regulate CBD. It has also only addressed emerging cannabinoid concerns lightly. The agency, for example, has sent warnings to companies it says are selling illegal “copycat” Delta-8 THC products which are packaged in a way that mimics popular brands such as Doritos. Cheetos. and Jolly Ranchers.
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The post States that Ban Marijuana may ‘Unintentionally promote’ Unregulated Delta-8-THC Products, Federally Funded Study Findings first appeared on Marijuana moment.
