I feel old.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Delta-8. ‘Twas a time when this kind of thing would have definitely not escaped my notice.
Oh, well. You get older, and getting high for the sake of getting high become less alluring.
Anyway, no judgment meant at all for people who are using such things.
But PBS and NOVA have a short film up about it that might be worth taking a look at.
Part of the transcript reads:
Narrator: You may not know this, but there are actually several different kinds of THC—the chemical in cannabis that makes you feel high. The well known one that comes from the cannabis plant is technically called Delta-9 THC.
But a new kind has emerged in the past few years—it’s called Delta-8 THC. Instead of coming directly from the cannabis plant, Delta-8 is synthesized in the lab.
Kyle Boyar: The chemical formulas are exactly the same. All that’s happened now is we’ve just moved the bond over one.
Narrator: In other words, Delta-8 and Delta-9 have the same number and type of atoms, but one of the bonds connecting those atoms is in a different place.
Kyle: The only difference is we have a double bond that’s been moved. So the double bonds on one side with Delta-9, then you move it over and it becomes Delta-8.
Narrator: So why is this new THC variety now being heavily marketed for both medical and recreational uses? Well, mainly it’s a way for cannabis producers and distributors to get around laws in states that ban THC.
To understand why, you have to start with the plant hemp. Hemp is legally defined as cannabis with no more than 0.3% of Delta-9 THC. Hemp is legal, and so is its crucial ingredient CBD. And from CBD, you can synthesize Delta-8 THC.
So in states that have banned cannabis that contains more than 0.3% of Delta-9 THC, Delta-8 falls into a legal loophole.
You can read the rest here. Or watch it below.