Is Delta-8-THC use associated with state-level cannabis policies? A content analysis from different jurisdictions in the United States.

Background: The United States has seen a rapid increase in the use of Δ-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁸-THC), a psychoactive compound similar to Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC). This study aimed to explore themes in Δ⁸-THC related tweets from U.S. jurisdictions with varying cannabis regulations from 2020 to 2022.

Methods: Tweets mentioning Δ⁸-THC were collected using search terms: D8, Delta-8, and Delta8 THC. The tweets were date-restricted from January 21, 2020, to May 31, 2022, resulting in 139,843 tweets. The final dataset included 61,800 U.S. tweets with complete location data. A subset of 1,000 tweets (n = 250 for each legal jurisdiction) was selected for content analysis.

Results: Three main themes related to Δ⁸-THC emerged across all jurisdictions: 'Sales and Advertising', 'Policy', and 'Personal Use'. In states where cannabis was legal for adult use, sales-themed tweets were most prevalent, promoting product sales and discounts. 'Policy' tweets were more common in medical CBD-only (34.5%) and fully illegal (24.8%) jurisdictions than in those with legalized medical (20.4%) and adult use (20.2%). Tweets about personal use appeared at similar rates in fully illegal (27.7%), medical (25.0%), medical CBD-only (24.5%), and fully legal jurisdictions (22.8%). Reports of adverse effects were frequent in tweets from fully illegal (28.9%), fully legal (27.7%), and medical (27.7%) jurisdictions, with the lowest frequency in medicinal CBD-only (15.6%) jurisdictions.

Conclusion: The current study on the public discourse on Twitter indicates that discussions about the use and marketing of Δ⁸-THC are present in all U.S. jurisdictions, not just those without legal recreational cannabis markets.