Delta 8 is the latest craze in the Cannabis market and its taking the industry by storm. Many members of the Discord server have been hounding me to look into Delta 8, citing it as a Cannabis high without the paranoia. If that’s the case sign me up but I’ve been avoiding Cannabis for years because of the panic and anxiety I get when using traditional Cannabis products.

Looking into Delta 8 THC revealed interesting findings.

What is Delta 8 THC?

Delta 8 THC is an analogue of the psychoactive cannabinoid Tetrahydrocannabinol. It’s an Isomer of Delta 9 and shares a very similar structural profile. Delta 9 is the naughty psychoactive cannabinoid responsible for the traditional Cannabis high some know and love, others hate.

Delta 8 sprung onto the market after an over production of hemp drove down the prices of CBD. Companies started looking for new products to sell and Delta 8 was synthesized as a result. Now Delta 8 has taken the spotlight and enjoys rapid growth and sales. From what I can tell talking with subscribers Delta 8 is an impressive analogue and not a single purchase product. With CBD there was a lot of hype but not a lot of delivery, and I spent hundreds of dollars testing out various isolate and full spectrum products. I found CBD was too expensive and offered almost zero value.

I questioned the purity of CBD products and it appears we have a similar situation with Delta 8. In other words Delta 8 is not currently regulated for quality control and you have to trust the vendor is testing their products. Delta 8 is VERY easy to synthesize so everyone with a bathtub and a fisher price chemistry set is out hawking their goods.

Effects

While I haven’t tested any Delta 8 products myself, many subscribers have commented that it’s similar to Cannabis without the paranoia – and this a common report you’ll see elsewhere online. It also appears to produce many of the same side effects you’ve surely experienced from THC so look out for the cotton mouth, red eyes etc. Some subscribers report Delta 8 has a long duration of effect and best suited for winding down at night rather than dosing during the day:

Other subscribers report while it is a much more relaxed version of Cannabis without the dread and panic, it can still produce waves of anxiety.

Readers may falsely assume they’ve hit the jackpot as far as legal highs go, but beware of products appearing too good to be true. While Delta 8 may be mild compared to Delta 9, those sensitive to THC on any level should be careful with their dosing and be aware that an anxiety-free experience is not guaranteed.

One problem with Delta 8 is if not synthesized properly, the end result can be a product with much more Delta 9 THC then what’s supposed to be in there. Obviously this is problematic not only from a legal standpoint in some states but an experience standpoint as well. Can you trust the vendor to conduct expensive testing on all their batches to ensure purity and proper amounts of Cannabinoids?

Legality

Delta 8 THC is derived from hemp plants containing no more than 0.3% THC levels making it legal on the federal level under the 2018 Farm Bill. Some states however have recently written in new legislation to ban THC and its derivatives, making analogues like Delta 8 illegal even though they’re derived from Hemp.

States like New York for example have legislation targeting Delta 8 THC specifically. Here’s a snippet from their Title 10 health codes rules and regulations legislation.

“not use synthetic cannabinoids, or Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol or Δ10-tetrahydrocannabinol created through isomerization, in the extraction or manufacturing of any cannabinoid hemp products,”

This doesn’t mean vendors won’t ship to you but it could if they’re on the ball and staying up to date with the legislation. Be sure to know the legality of Delta 8 in your state before ordering and understand the risks. Here’s a list of states that have banned Delta 8.

And just because Cannabis is legalized in your state doesn’t mean Delta 8 is legal. Arizona for instance has legalized Cannabis but has placed bans on synthetic derivatives of THC. While not banning D8 specifically, it falls under the Arizona definition of a synthetic derivative.

Vendors and products

Members of the Discord recommend 2 vendors – Skyhio and 3chi.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for that Cannabis experience sans the panic and anxiety it’s worth looking into Delta 8. I’ll be experimenting with Delta 8 soon and will bring you guys a first hand experience report. Coming from someone who gets tons of panic and anxiety from traditional Cannabis products, this will be an interesting research experiment so stay tuned.