Prevalence and reasons for using cannabidiol, delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabinol, cannabigerol, and hexahydrocannabinol among US adults

Summary & key facts

Researchers surveyed about 1,500 adults across the United States to learn who has tried newer cannabinoid products and why. They found that CBD is the most commonly tried product, and many people say they use CBD and several other cannabinoids mostly for medical reasons. Delta-8 THC is less common and is used more for fun than for medical reasons. The survey counted what people reported doing and feeling, not whether these products actually treat health problems.

Key facts:

• The study used a nationally representative survey of about 1,500 US adults to ask about lifetime use of five cannabinoids: CBD, delta-8 THC, CBN, CBG, and HHC.
• About 35% of adults said they had ever used CBD. About 8% had tried delta-8 THC. About 5% had tried CBN. Around 1% had tried CBG and about 2% had tried HHC.
• Most people who used CBD said they used it for medical reasons (about 72%). Nearly half of CBD users also said they used it for recreation (about 47%).
• Delta-8 THC users reported the opposite pattern: about three-quarters used it for recreation (about 76%), while about half said they used it for medical reasons (about 51%).
• The most common medical complaints people gave for using these products were anxiety, pain, and sleep problems. For CBD, about 15% named anxiety, about 13% named pain, and about 11% named joint pain.
• The study reports people’s reasons and experience but does not test whether these products actually help those health problems. The findings describe who uses these products and why, which can help with thinking about rules and safety around them.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Since the passage of the 2018 US Farm Bill there has been a market for cannabinoid products derived from Cannabis sativa L. that contain < 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Understanding the characteristics and motivations of cannabinoid product users is crucial for appropriate regulation of these products. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1,523 adults 18 years or older using the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel, representative of 97% of US households. We assessed lifetime use of cannabidiol (CBD), delta-8 THC, cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), and hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), as well as self-reported reasons for using these products (i.e., medical vs. recreational). Using multivariable logistic regression models, we investigated associations of demographic and health behavior characteristics with product use. Lastly, we used the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities to code medical reasons for cannabinoid product use into system organ class and preferred term categories. RESULTS: Lifetime use of CBD was 35.2% (95% CI 32.7-37.9), compared with 7.7% (95% CI 6.5-9.1) for delta-8 THC, 4.5% (95% CI 3.7-5.6) for CBN, 1.3% (95% CI 0.9-1.9) for CBG, and 1.5% (95% CI 1.0-2.1) for HHC. More adults used CBD for medical purposes (71.9%, 95% CI 68.9-74.7) than recreation (47.1%, 95% CI 43.9-50.3), which was also the case for CBN, CBG and HHC. Conversely, more adults used delta-8 THC for recreation (76.1% 95% CI 67.0-83.3) than for medical reasons (50.9; 95% CI 42.6-59.2). The most cited preferred terms for CBD use were anxiety (14.7%, 95% CI 13.0-16.6), pain (13.1%, 95% CI 11.5-15.0) and arthralgia (11.2%, 95% CI 9.5-13.2), for delta-8 THC use they were anxiety (18.6%, 95% CI 13.3-25.3), pain (15.2%, 95% CI 11.1-20.5) and insomnia (10.7%, 95% CI 7.4-15.3), and for CBN use they were insomnia (15.4%, 95% CI 9.6-23.9), pain (11.1%, 95% CI 6.4-18.7) and anxiety (10.9%, 95% CI 6.0-19.0). CONCLUSIONS: Use of cannabinoid products is appreciable, particularly CBD and delta-8 THC. Most adults use CBD, CBN, CBG, and HHC for medical reasons, but delta-8 THC for recreation. Pain, anxiety, insomnia and arthralgia were common medical reasons for use across the different cannabinoids assessed.

Topics

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Cannabis Depression (economics) Disease Environmental health Epidemiology Marijuana smoking Medical literature Medicine MEDLINE Population Psychiatry Public health

Substances

Cannabis

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Chronic Pain Sleep disorder Anxiety or worry Chronic pain Poor sleep