Introduction
After passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, manufacturers have developed products derived from hemp (cannabis containing <0.3% Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [Δ9-THC]) featuring emerging cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), Δ8-THC, cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN). It is currently unknown how widely these products are used. Our goal was to characterize past-year use prevalence and factors associated with use of CBD, Δ8-THC, CBG, and CBN among US adults.
Discussion
We provide the first estimates, to our knowledge, of past-year use prevalence of CBN, Δ8-THC, and CBG in the US. A Gallup poll reported that 14%of US adults personally used CBD in 2019; our reported 21% use prevalence of CBD represents a 50% increase over the past 4 years. Prevalence of past-year cannabis use was somewhat higher than in other studies but was similarly associated with younger age, and past-year cannabis use was also associated with using emerging cannabinoid products. Higher Δ8-THC use in states without medical or adult-use cannabis laws suggests that cannabis prohibition may unintentionally promote Δ8-THC use. There are few controlled human studies with emerging cannabinoids, but surveys suggest these products are used for treating sleep or pain1 and in place of other drugs, including pain medications.
Based on these results, we support ongoing public health surveillance efforts targeting emerging cannabinoids because of lack of industry standards to protect consumers and similar pharmacology or effects of Δ9-THC and its hemp-derived impairing analogues (eg, Δ8-THC), which may be of particular concern for adolescents and young adults. Study limitations included not assessing emerging cannabinoid use patterns (eg, dose and use frequency) and possible sampling biases, although NORC implements probability-based recruitment best practices for their AmeriSpeak panel. Our results highlight the importance of future research to better understand perceptions of safety, motivations for use, and outcomes of use of these products.
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