The prevalence of Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is considerable among U.S. adolescents and is lower in states with regulations, according to a study published in the March 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Alyssa F. Harlow, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a nationally representative cross-sectional analysis of a randomly selected subset of 12th-grade students in 27 U.S. states to estimate the self-reported prevalence of and factors associated with Δ8-THC and marijuana use in the past 12 months.
The researchers found that the prevalence of self-reported use in the past 12 months was 11.4 and 30.4 percent for Δ8-THC and marijuana, respectively, in the sample of 2,186 12th-grade students. Overall, 35.4 percent of the 295 participants reporting Δ8-THC use used it at least 10 times in the past 12 months. The prevalence of Δ8-THC use was lower in Western versus Southern census regions, states in which Δ8-THC was versus was not regulated, and states with versus without legal adult-use marijuana (adjusted relative risks, 0.35, 0.42, and 0.56, respectively). Past 12-month use was lower for Hispanic than White participants for both Δ8-THC and marijuana (adjusted relative risks, 0.54 and 0.74, respectively). There was no difference seen in the prevalence of Δ8-THC and marijuana use by sex or parental education.
“Δ8-THC use prevalence is appreciable among U.S. adolescents and is higher in states without marijuana legalization or existing Δ8-THC regulations,” the authors write. “Prioritizing surveillance, policy, and public health efforts addressing adolescent Δ8-THC use may be warranted.”
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