Delta-8- and Delta-9-THC Use Frequency, Use Motives, and Mental Health Outcomes.
Michael J Pellicane, Madison E Quinn, Christian A L Bean, Madeline E Bartek, Luke F Heggeness, Jeffrey A Ciesla
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2024 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2023.2200211 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 363 |
| Population | Self-reported delta-8 users |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Delta-8 Cannabinoids Mental health |
| Key findings | Delta-8 use frequency was unrelated to use problems and other mental health outcomes. Coping and conformity motives were associated with greater depression, anxiety, insomnia, and delta-8 use problems, and participants reported coping and enhancement motives more for delta-8 than for cannabis. |
Abstract
Use of delta-8-THC ("delta-8") has proliferated after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Yet, research on the mental health effects of this increasingly popular cannabinoid is scant. The current study sought to examine mental health correlates of delta-8 use frequency and motives, investigate whether delta-8 use motives predict use frequency, and compare use motives and problems between delta-8 and traditional cannabis. Participants consisted of 363 self-reported delta-8 users who completed measures of delta-8 use frequency, motives, and problems that were adapted from comparable measures for cannabis, as well as measures of mental health outcomes. Delta-8 use frequency was unrelated to use problems and other mental health outcomes. Delta-8 use frequency was positively associated with social and coping motives, but negatively associated with enhancement and conformity motives. Coping and conformity motives were associated with greater depression, anxiety, insomnia, and delta-8 use problems. Participants were more likely to report coping and enhancement motives for delta-8 use compared to cannabis use, but less likely to report conformity motives. Further longitudinal research is needed to assess causality for associations between delta-8 use frequency, use motives, and mental health outcomes.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis use before age 15 and subsequent executive functioning 104 chronic cannabis users (49 early-onset before age 15, 55 late-onset after age 15)... | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional study | n = 148 |
| Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students | 2006 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 149 |
| Persisting Reductions in Cannabis, Opioid, and Stimulant Misuse After Naturalistic Psychedelic Use: An Online Survey Online survey respondents | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| User perceptions of the benefits and harms of hallucinogenic drug use: A web-based questionnaire study Users of hallucinogenic drugs who completed a web-based questionnaire | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 600 |
| Illicit Use of LSD or Psilocybin, but not MDMA or Nonpsychedelic Drugs, is Associated with Mystical Experiences in a Dose-Dependent Manner Adults recruited from the MAPS website and newsletter, most reporting use of various... | 2012 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 337 |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Consumer Experiences with Delta-8-THC: Medical Use, Pharmaceutical Substitution, and Comparisons with Delta-9-THC Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research February 1, 2023
- Review of delta‐8‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8‐THC): Comparative pharmacology with Δ9‐THC British Journal of Pharmacology August 1, 2022
- Delta-8-THC: Delta-9-THC’s nicer younger sibling? Journal of Cannabis Research January 4, 2022