NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than one in ten high school seniors reported using Delta 8 THC in the past year, according to a University of Southern California study released this year. However, the use of so-called “weed lite” among teenagers comes with risks.

“We were shocked to see that the data showed that 11% of all 12th graders had used Delta 8THC in the past year,” said study co-author Adam Leventhal.

The study also found Delta 8 use was higher in states without legal adult-use marijuana like in the South and Midwest.

Delta 8 THC is a naturally occurring chemical compound in a cannabis plant. But there isn’t enough Delta 8 in hemp to get people high without scientist’s help.

“These are chemicals that are synthesized in a lab most often starting from the plant, the hemp plant, and then ending up with a chemical that affects the brain in a similar way than marijuana does,” Leventhal explained.

And like marijuana, Delta 8 products can alter a developing brain.

“Our brain doesn’t really stop developing and forming until you’re into your 20s or your mid-20s. And so things that we see are interfering with brain areas related to help concentration, attention, mood regulation,” Leventhal added.

However, one of Leventhal’s top concerns is what substances may be in unregulated Delta 8 products that teens are often more likely to easily obtain.

He says some unregulated cannabis products can contain impurities and toxins.

“If they’re being sold in convenience stores, and gas stations, and other places where anyone can walk in at any age and purchase them. That’s an issue. Right?” he said.

Leventhal believes the key to making sure these products are safe and only used by adults is more regulation, which Tennessee has instituted, and education.