Consumers reported using delta-8-THC for medical purposes and as a pharmaceutical substitute, describing it as milder than delta-9-THC with fewer adverse effects.
Cannabis consumers, healthcare providers, regulators, and researchers studying minor cannabinoids.
Milder than delta-9Consumers described delta-8-THC as producing a milder high with fewer negative side effects than delta-9-THC
What the researchers found
Survey respondents reported using delta-8-THC for pain, anxiety, and other medical conditions, often as a substitute for pharmaceutical medications, and described it as producing a milder high with fewer negative side effects compared to delta-9-THC.
Why it matters
Delta-8-THC became widely available across most US states in late 2020, yet consumer experiences and motivations for use have been poorly documented, leaving a gap in evidence for regulation and clinical guidance.
The numbers in context
Delta-8-THC products became widely available in most of the United States in late 2020, becoming a significant revenue source for hemp processing companies.
How the study worked
Consumer survey examining experiences, motivations, and self-reported effects of delta-8-THC use.
Who was studied
Consumers who have used delta-8-THC products in the United States.
What this study cannot tell us
Self-selected survey sample may overrepresent positive experiences; self-reported effects lack clinical verification; product quality and actual delta-8 content were not verified.
How to read the evidence
Consumer survey provides self-reported experiential data; useful for understanding user perspectives but not clinical evidence.
When this study was published
Timely research capturing early consumer experiences with a rapidly expanding product category.
The bigger picture
The delta-8 market represents a massive natural experiment in cannabinoid consumer behavior, emerging from a regulatory loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that classified hemp-derived products differently from marijuana.
Replication
Among the first systematic surveys of delta-8 consumer experiences; findings align with anecdotal reports.
Funding
Not specified
Conflicts of interest
Not specified
Questions still open
- How do delta-8 and delta-9 THC differ pharmacologically?
- What are the long-term safety implications of delta-8 use?
- Should delta-8 products be regulated differently than delta-9?
Read the original research
Consumer Experiences with Delta-8-THC: Medical Use, Pharmaceutical Substitution, and Comparisons with Delta-9-THC.
Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 8(1), 166-173
Citation
Kruger, Daniel J; Kruger, Jessica S. (2023). Consumer Experiences with Delta-8-THC: Medical Use, Pharmaceutical Substitution, and Comparisons with Delta-9-THC.. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 8(1), 166-173. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2021.0124