What Is THC and Is It Addictive?
Let’s step back for a minute and talk big picture. What exactly is THC and how did it become so accessible to teens?
THC is tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component in marijuana that gives users a “high.” Plenty of kids think cannabis products on the open market are less dangerous than illicit drugs because cannabis is advertised like candy – safe and healthier, at least, than more serious addictive substances like nicotine, alcohol, and fentanyl. Hmm.
THC is legal today for recreational use in 24 states plus Washington D.C., supposedly regulated at <0.3 (less than 0.3%). The industry, though, is largely unregulated and studies report potency can be much higher than the packaging may indicate.
And yes, cannabis THC is addictive to some. Maybe less so than meth or heroin, but young people think Delta-8 products are safer and healthier because they’re advertised pretty much like happy snacks. If they were so dangerous, why would they be available at thousands of dispensaries and online, no ID required?
“With THC levels close to 100 percent, today’s cannabis products are making some teenagers highly dependent and dangerously ill.”
– The New York Times on June 23, 2022.
Stats from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cite that 11% of 12th-graders reported using Delta-8 THC (D8) edibles or vapes on a semi-regular basis in 2023. Out of those, about 10% became addicted. All debating aside, kids are more vulnerable because their brains aren’t fully developed until around age 25.
Also this: “In 2022, for the first time ever, Americans said they consumed more cannabis on a near-daily basis than alcohol,” according to multiple major news sources.
Psychology Today pointed out: