Despite growing popularity and growing claims of psychedelic effects similar to LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, THC-O-acetate, a cannabinoid derived from delta-8 THC, does not induce significant psychedelic experiences. This has been revealed in recent research. The study warns that the acetic acid composition of THC-O-acetate poses potential health concerns as it can release toxic fumes and contaminate products when heated.
As interest in THC-O-acetate grows, UB researchers urge caution.
The cannabis plant is complex and includes approximately 100 plant species. cannabinoid Many of them remain largely unexplored scientifically.The two most common active ingredients – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) — Extensive research has been conducted.
However, a variety of other cannabinoids are rapidly emerging on the market. One of the most recent is his THC-O-acetate, which has been garnering attention due to discussions on social media, online communities like Reddit, and even on the manufacturer’s promotional materials, whose effects have been compared to psychedelics like LSD and LSD. It suggests that it is similar to matter. psilocybin mushroom.
But a University at Buffalo-led study says claims about mystical experiences are greatly exaggerated. psychotropic journal These are the first researchers to investigate the purported psychedelic effects of THC-O-acetate.
THC-O-acetate is a semi-synthetic compound derived from delta-8 THC. Delta-8 THC is a cannabinoid that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years among curious consumers, as well as state legislators who are wary of its potential dangers. (In New Jersey, where cannabis is legal, lawmakers are currently considering legislation to ban Delta8 products.)
“THC-O-Acetate is said to be stronger than regular THC and has received a lot of attention due to claims that it produces psychedelic effects. We wanted to know if cannabinoids existed: can we find evidence that THC-O-acetate has this effect? Daniel J. Krueger, Ph.D., research associate professor at the Graduate School of Public Health and Health Professionals and research scientist at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. At U.B.
Krueger and study co-author Jessica S. Krueger, Ph.D., clinical associate professor of community health and health behavior in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, said: We conducted a survey last year We researched user experiences with Delta-8 THC. Focusing on THC-O-acetate was the next logical step.
This particular cannabinoid is also of interest to the public health sector. This is acetate, and when acetate is heated it can produce ketene, a toxic gas. In 2019, more than 2,800 people were hospitalized and 68 died from a condition called “e-cigarette or e-cigarette product use-related lung injury” (EVALI) after inhaling e-cigarette products containing vitamin E acetate. It was reported that.
The 2018 Farm Bill created a loophole
In 2018, Congress passed the Farm Bill, making hemp cultivation legal at the federal level. Essentially, hemp is cannabis that contains less than 0.3% THC, the compound that produces the “high” that people feel. The Farm Bill legalized the cultivation of hemp, but inadvertently created a loophole that allowed manufacturers to make and sell thousands of products containing CBD. Many are marketed with claims such as “sleep aids,” “pain relievers,” or “calming pets.”
But such claims are often unverified, and little research exists to better understand what’s in the products sold online, at gas stations, at corner stores, and in stores across the country. Not done.
“This opened up a whole new market for cannabis companies and created a sort of gray market pathway,” says Daniel Kruger. “It’s kind of like the Old West. Everybody has CBD, but here we have something else.”
Enter THC-O-acetate.
For this study, Kruger and his colleagues experienced symptoms such as altered time perception, anxiety, poor concentration, euphoria, hallucinations, and analgesia when using THC-O-acetate. We created a survey asking nearly 300 participants. , paranoia, relaxation.
Participants also completed items on the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), a classic instrument for assessing psychedelic experiences developed by Walter Panke in the 1960s. Participants were also asked if they had ever used psychedelic drugs, such as LSD or psilocybin mushrooms, and what kind of drugs they had used.
When asked directly, 79% said the use of THC-O-acetate was “not at all” or “somewhat” part of their psychedelic experience. Participants’ responses were significantly below the threshold for full mystical experience, and participants who had used classic psychedelics had lower scores on all dimensions of the MEQ. The most notable experiences reported were moderate relaxation, euphoria, and pain relief.
So why do some people report psychedelic experiences with THC-O-acetate? Krueger says there are three possible explanations:
- It may be due to expectations based on what the user has heard or read.
- Some users may have experienced a high so intense that they thought it was psychedelic.
- Products may contain contaminants.
The latter is particularly problematic from a public health perspective, according to the researchers. “People have to be careful,” says Daniel Kruger. “Some of these extreme effects may be the result of some type of contamination, and if we don’t know much about what’s in these products, that may be the reason for the true dangers of these products. That’s one.”
Some companies include QR codes on product labels to direct consumers to websites that provide information about specific product contents. But many people don’t.
“Delta-8 and THC-O-acetate have received a tremendous amount of interest and a lot of claims have been made about them with virtually no research done,” said Daniel Kruger. To tell. “We’re really new to the consumer market, and cannabis still has a strange mix of policies that make it illegal at the federal level, no national regulation, and certainly no testing like prescription drugs do.”
Reference: “THC-O-Acetate: Scarce Evidence for a Psychedelic Cannabinoid” by Daniel J. Krugela, Carlton CB Bourne, Meredith C. Meacham, Charles Klein, and Jessica S. Krueger, 2023.6 29th of the month, psychotropic journal.
DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2023.2230573
The research team also included Carlton “CB” Bourne, then a graduate student at Portland State University, researching online cannabis culture and hosting an online forum. Additional study co-authors are Dr. Meredith C. Meacham, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Charles Klein, a medical anthropologist at Portland State University.