Delta-8 THC

Delta-8 THC is a hot-button issue and a popular cannabis product. How different is it from its cousin delta-9, how does it relate to other cannabinoids? In this chapter, we answer these questions and cover some of the legality surrounding this cannabinoid.

What is Delta-8 THC?

Cannabis has been consumed by humans for centuries, and the plant is full of compounds called cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Cannabinoids specifically interact with the endocannabinoid system. There are over 400 compounds and over 100 cannabinoids found in cannabis. The cannabinoids we know the most about are Delta-9 THC and CBD because these two compounds have been studied the most. Hopefully, we can learn more about the other cannabinoids as states continue to end cannabis prohibition.

Delta-9 has many similarities to Delta-8 THC, but it does have some noteworthy differences. While Delta-8 is not as psychoactive as Delta-9, the two cannabinoids are different only by a handful of atomic bonds. Delta-8 (D8) can produce a decent effect of its own. One of the most noticeable differences is that Delta-8 only occurs naturally in the cannabis plant in trace amounts, usually, less than 1% in most dried and cured flower.

Cannabis companies are isolating and concentrating more compounds like Delta-8, as each one can potentially offer specific effects and benefits. By extracting, isolating, and refining dried cannabis flower, Delta-8 can be distilled and made into cartridges and other products.

What Are the Effects and Benefits of Delta-8?

While everyone is of course different, the common theme is that Delta-8 offers similar relaxing and even slightly sedative effects as its cousin Delta-9. It seems that Delta-8 lacks the mind-stimulating and mentally uplighting effects that consumers recognize with Sativa-dominant cultivars. Most consumers also report that there is less feeling of the munchies with Delta-8, but that there is some noticeable appetite stimulation - which could be beneficial for treating symptoms of many conditions.

Delta 8 VS Delta 9

Delta-8 has fewer psychoactive properties than its relative Delta-9, the most abundant compound found in cannabis. Delta-8 has been shown to bind to both the CB1 and CB2 receptors in our brains, which could lead to some significant medical benefits.

A study conducted back in the 1990s in Israel shows us that children under 13 with hematologic cancer displayed a significant reduction in side effects associated with chemotherapy and other treatments. The most notable of which was that D8 can help with vomiting and nausea, as these symptoms were nearly non-existent.

Is Delta-8 THC Legal?

For almost as long as the U.S. government has been prohibiting cannabis, consumers have been finding ways to ingest the plant legally, for better or worse. There have been unsafe and dangerous legal products that produce a high, such as K2, Salvia, Spice, and even bath salts. Inevitably, the common school of thought is that the DEA and other Federal agencies will eventually swoop in and make the substance illegal.

As of 2021 and 2022, one of the latest of said substances is Delta-8 THC. Delta-8 THC has been legal for a while now, but the recent cannabis policy reform has led to much advancement with the plant medicine. Delta-8 is getting some serious attention, even from national publications like Rolling Stone.

Delta-8 became legal along with the 2018 Farm Bill which states hemp plants may be lawfully grown provided they test at under 0.03% Delta-9. Essentially, the Farm Bill removed hemp and derivatives of cannabis under the set Delta-9 limit from the definition of illicit cannabis. Around a year later, online retailers started selling Delta-8 products like concentrates, edibles, and cartridges.

Delta-8 distillate is a hot item on cannabis social media at the moment, and for the most part, it’s legal in 38 states. Delta-8 is legal if it is derived from hemp, as is the case with CBD. However, the process of synthetically altering CBD into Delta-8 is a gray area, and it likely would be deemed illegal by most federal law enforcement agencies.

Altering hemp-derived CBD synthetically is likely the least expensive method of producing Delta-8, which again, only exists in trace amounts naturally. This process is banned at the federal level, which is why most legal experts would likely recommend against doing it, thus creating the gray area of legality surrounding Delta-8.

Either way the Delta-8 compound offers some possible relief in states where its cousin is illegal, as D8 derived from hemp is now legal nationwide. Seeing this alternative available to those seeking the relief that cannabis medicine can bring is great.

What We Learned: Delta-8 THC

The emergence of Delta-8 and other hemp-derived compounds may have opened the door for much-needed cannabinoid exploration. Here’s what we learned in this chapter:

• Delta-8 THC (D8) is known as a minor cannabinoid, as all cannabinoids other than THC and CBD are.
• Studies indicate that Delta-8 can be effective, stable, and valuably beneficial.
• D8 is yet another addition to the long list of areas that require much-need study with cannabis medicine.
• There are over 100 cannabinoids and around 400 total compounds in cannabis.
• Delta-8 became legal along with the 2018 Farm Bill which states hemp plants may be lawfully grown provided they test at under 0.03% Delta-9.
• A study conducted back in the 1990s in Israel shows us that children under 13 with hematologic cancer displayed a significant reduction in side effects associated with chemotherapy and other treatments.
• D8 and other minor cannabinoids have garnered national attention from mainstream publications like Rolling Stone.

As cannabis policy reform advances, science will refine applications and a multitude of uses of the compounds found in one of the world’s most important plants. Advancements in legal cannabis will lead to more benefits for everyone, and Delta-8 is just one instance. Let's keep learning about these amazing compounds known as cannabinoids.