Danielle Dawson, Ashley York, Fang-Yi Su, Wayne Hall, Carmen Lim, Daniel Stjepanović
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: The United States has seen a rapid increase in the use of delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8-THC), a psychoactive compound similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC). This study aimed to explore themes in delta-8-THC-related tweets from U.S. jurisdictions with varying cannabis regulations from 2020 to 2022.
Method: Tweets mentioning delta-8-THC were collected using the following 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 data set 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 delta-8-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 cannabidiol (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 cannabidiol (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.
Conclusions: The current study on the public discourse on Twitter indicates that discussions about the use and marketing of delta-8-THC are present in all U.S. jurisdictions, not just those without legal recreational cannabis markets.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs began in 1940 as the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol. It was founded by Howard W. Haggard, M.D., director of Yale University’s Laboratory of Applied Physiology. Dr. Haggard was a physiologist studying the effects of alcohol on the body, and he started the Journal as a way to publish the increasing amount of research on alcohol use, abuse, and treatment that emerged from Yale and other institutions in the years following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. In addition to original research, the Journal also published abstracts summarizing other published documents dealing with alcohol. At Yale, Dr. Haggard built a large team of alcohol researchers within the Laboratory of Applied Physiology—including E.M. Jellinek, who became managing editor of the Journal in 1941. In 1943, to bring together the various alcohol research projects conducted by the Laboratory, Dr. Haggard formed the Section of Studies on Alcohol, which also became home to the Journal and its editorial staff. In 1950, the Section was renamed the Center of Alcohol Studies.
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