Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are gearing up to administer set levels of delta-8 and delta-9 THC to people in a pilot study, and place them in a driving simulator.
Their goal?
To see how the drugs influence people behind the wheel.
Heather Barkholtz is the study’s lead researcher. She said since the 2018 farm bill legalized hemp production, Wisconsin businesses have cropped up to sell products derived from the cannabis plant.
Delta-9 THC is responsible for the “high” feeling people get from marijuana, which is illegal in Wisconsin. But companies advertise tinctures and edibles with delta-8 THC derived from the legal hemp plant, or levels of delta -9 THC that are under the legal limit.
“So driving around, you can see advertisements for delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC,” said Barkholtz, who is an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy at the UW-Madison. “And I became very interested in: What do we know about them? And when I looked at the literature, I found out the answer was not much.”