Cannabis, Delta 8 and Youth: What You Need to Know

• By School of Health Professions
• September 3, 2024
• Health

Zach Sneed, Ph.D., CRC, LCDC, BC-TMH, sat down to share with us what we currently know regarding the use of Cannabis and Delta 8 among youth and the potential risks and misinformation to be aware of.

Sneed is the Assistant Dean for Outcomes and Assessment and an Associate Professor and Director for the Master of Science in Addiction Counseling program for the School of Health Professions.

Differences Between Cannabis and Delta 8

According to Sneed, we know a lot more about Cannabis than we do Delta 8. Cannabis is widely known and available. While it is composed of multiple chemical ingredients, the two that most people know about are Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC (even sometimes known as Delta 9 THC), which is primarily responsible for euphoria, and Cannabidiol (known as CBD), which is the component responsible for relaxation and pain relief. 

There are other cannabinoids that are in Cannabis, and Delta 8 is one of those. It occurs in both the Cannabis and Hemp plants. Sneed notes that depending on who you talk to, some say those plants are the same, and they are very similar. Delta 8 occurs in very small concentrations within both plants. The chemical is not widely available in its botanical form, and it is typically extracted from the plants and then synthesized for consumption, or the volume of Delta 8 that is extracted is then concentrated and reapplied to something else, and that’s what is sold on the market (i.e. edible gummy bears).

The Legalization of Delta 8

Due to federal regulations, also called the Farm bill (which legalized Hemp and its derivatives in 2018), Delta 8 “kind of slipped through the cracks” according to Sneed. It became a substance that is allowed to be sold over the counter. The effects of Delta 8 are not as strong, so some people liken it to being a “light” version of Cannabis.

“The law was actually precisely designed to authorize the sale of Delta 8, but many legislators reflecting on those federal regulations now say they didn’t anticipate this.” Sneed says.

Some states have moved to ban Delta 8 products, while others have embraced it. The variation by jurisdiction has confused the issue in terms of its regulation across the country. You may find two counties or cities in the same state that regulate it differently.

Youth are participating in the use of both of these substances. Researchers and public health scientists and physicians have noted an increase in use among youth with both, but it varies by region. In regions where Cannabis is either sold medicinally (or medically) or recreationally, rates of use tend to rise, especially during the first few years of legalization, and they then level off and reflect what rates were prior to the legislation change. 

What does this mean for youth consumption?

Well, some marketing tactics make for a lot of misinformation. “When you talk to youth about Delta 8, they share marketing messages about it,” he says. “They say things like - ‘It’s safer, it’s easier to access, it’s not as strong as Cannabis, or I won’t get in as much trouble.’”

Sneed explains that there’s a lot of misinformation in regards to Cannabis and youth. But at the same time, the entire national conversation about Cannabis is changing rapidly and has been over the last 10 years. 

Currently, the majority of Americans do not believe that Cannabis should be federally regulated, and that there is a place for it in society. He says that a small minority of Americans actually believe that it is a safe drug, and it is akin to alcohol or tobacco. 

“The clinician side of me understands that while it is a drug like alcohol and tobacco, and it’s probably actually safer than either of those, it’s not totally safe,” he says. But many researchers believe that it could be a safely regulated product if we could understand dosing.

“What’s the equivalent to drinking a glass of wine or beer? We know how much alcohol is in each, or how much nicotine is in one cigarette,” Sneed explains. What we don’t know is how much THC or other cannabinoids are in any specific amount of Cannabis right now, and part of that, Sneed says, is due to federal restrictions on research. “In the absence of that good science guiding best practices, we get quasi regulated or unregulated markets where people are making a product and selling it and we are just hoping it turns out well. All of that is reflected in the youth use of the drug.”

Understanding the Risks

Youth may see Delta 8, recognize it’s similar to Cannabis, and believe it must be safer, but Sneed explains that there’s even less regulation to Delta 8 than there is for medical or recreational Cannabis. For example, the states that operate those programs regarding the use of Cannabis have guidelines to the volume of pesticides present in the end product. Delta 8 might not have that because it is regulated completely differently, if at all.

Brain Development

The standard risk associated with both is an impact on brain maturation. Our prefrontal cortex is where we make executive decisions and balance pros and cons and impulse control. That area of the brain continues in development until around the age of 25. 

“We know Cannabis use, and we believe Delta 8 use, because it's a cannabinoid, impacts it,” Sneed says. “Ultimately, the use of these drugs among youth leads to the slowing down of that development.”

However, across the board, when people are intoxicated with Cannabis, they experience cognitive impairments. For youth who are in school, especially if intoxicated, we expect to see decreased academic performance, possibly social consequences, change in friend groups and extracurricular activities, and impacts to their athletic participation.

Mental Health

Sneed also says that one of the interesting things around cannabinoid research presently is that a prominent link has been identified between age of use and early-onset psychosis. The earlier a person uses in their life, in correlation with the quantity and frequency in which they use Cannabis, the higher their likelihood of experiencing early onset psychosis, and that might be things like Schizophrenia. 

Sneed explains that we didn’t know all of this 25 years ago because the Cannabis market was completely different, and if the states hadn’t forged their own path, we likely wouldn’t have the kind of research we have today.

“While many people disagree with some of these concepts, all clinicians agree that people can develop a Cannabis use disorder,” he says. “Every single substance that is addictive produces its own characteristic syndrome. It’s a collection of signs and symptoms where a person keeps using and experiencing harmful things in their life all related to their use.” He goes on to say that when talking to people who are seeking treatment for addiction and dependency, Cannabis is the second most reported substance at treatment admission across the nation.

Respiratory Impact

Currently, Sneed says there is a large debate among medical Cannabis users on whether or not it is medicine, but the position of the American Medical Association is that you can’t smoke medicine. “Smoking is so damaging that it outweighs any benefit that might come from the use of the substance,” he says. While many have switched to vaping, in the last few years, researchers have also identified that even vaping can lead to respiratory impacts. 

Legal Consequences

Finally, and importantly for youth, Sneed notes that there are legal consequences to the use of either substance. Neither substance has been designed to be sold to people under the age of consent. 

“In schools in Texas and the surrounding states, if a person were to be caught on campus under the influence of Delta 8, that would be a positive test for Cannabis, and the person would be treated as such,” he says. “The laws and rules really haven’t been updated to differentiate between them.”

Opening the Conversation with Youth

Youth and parents can benefit from having open conversations at home about this topic, listening and trying to learn together. Having an open and honest dialogue where youth feel supported to work through any disinformation is important. “When you feel like you’re just getting in trouble, you want to get out of that conversation,” Sneed says. “We either fight back and resist or we find a way out of that conversation, and neither one of those options helps parents and youth get to the best place on this topic.”