Delta-8 THC was available at about 1 in 10 tobacco and hemp retailers in Fort Worth, even amid legal uncertainty

Delta-8 THC retail availability was 11% at the first time point and 9% at the second, showing no significant decline despite ongoing legal challenges. Tobacco license holders were 15 times more likely and hemp license holders 22 times more likely to carry Delta-8 than alcohol-only retailers.

Researchers called all locations in Fort Worth with alcohol, tobacco, or consumable hemp retail licenses at two time points (before and after Texas announced Delta-8 litigation). Linked retailer locations to census block area deprivation index scores and used logistic regression to identify predictors of availability.

Delta-8 THC exists in a regulatory gray area in many states. This study provides some of the first data on where it is actually sold and whether legal uncertainty affects availability, revealing that the market remained stable despite litigation.

The persistence of Delta-8 sales despite legal challenges illustrates how quickly novel cannabinoid markets can establish themselves and how difficult they are to regulate retroactively. The socioeconomic disparity finding adds an equity dimension to the regulatory debate.

Single-city study in Texas, which has unique cannabis laws. Phone-based survey may not capture all retailers. Area deprivation associations were borderline significant.