Cannabis Experts Urge Caution About Delta-8 Use
What is Delta-8 THC and why is it under intense scrutiny in the regulated marijuana space?
You may have seen Delta-8 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) advertised as infused in edibles, vape inhalers, smokeable joints, and tinctures sold everywhere from online marketplaces to gas stations to smoke shops to convenience stores. Delta-8 can also be found in cannabis-related products carried at Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers throughout the state. Cannabis above 0.3% total THC is still a controlled substance as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is illegal under federal law.
The reason Delta-8 THC can be sold is because the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly referred to as the 2018 farm bill, was written with broad definitions and rules regarding the legalization of hemp. The bill does not address Delta-8 THC and other variations.
Delta-8 THC can be chemically created from CBD (cannabidiol), which is the Delta-8 THC found in many of the previously mentioned products.
The Delta-8 THC manufacturing process “uses substances such as hydrocarbons and acids. They’re re-agents. These are solvents that are often found as contaminants in the products because the producer doesn’t utilize the steps to cleanse the final product from these re-agents and solvents,” explains Dr. Genester Wilson-King, a qualified medical marijuana physician and the vice president of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians. In addition, there are other by-products that could be created in this chemical reaction that we don’t know about, she said.
Florida’s former director of cannabis, Holly Bell, says Delta-8 THC products are required to test for solvents, pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants, but that is as far as the state goes.
“I’m careful about using the word ‘synthetic,” Ms. Bell says. “How I describe this product is it’s chemically derived because they are putting a chemical on an organic compound to convert it into another organic compound, and that chemical is a solvent.”
To that point, Dr. Wilson-King offers this warning: “You don’t know what the other unknown by-products are and how they will affect your body every time you dose with Delta-8 THC. Are they carcinogens? Are they damaging various organs inside your body? We do not know.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), adverse effects of Delta-8 THC ingestion reportedly include lethargy, hallucinations, vomiting, tremors, anxiety, dizziness, confusion, and loss of consciousness.
Ms. Bell says anyone using Delta-8 THC products for medicinal purposes, such as to help them sleep or curb anxieties, should consult with a qualified medical marijuana physician. The Florida Department of Health Office of Medical Marijuana Use lists more than 2,100 qualified physicians on its website, knowthefactsmmj.com.
She and Dr. Wilson-King also recommend checking the scannable QR code to review the certificate of analysis (COA) on any hemp and cannabis-based products.
“Make sure your COA has a date within the last six months to a year and that it is a full panel test, which they have to do, and that it’s covering all of the things, the solvents, the heavy metals, the pesticides,” says Ms. Bell.
Citing safety concerns, about a dozen states have banned Delta-8 THC.
Cannabis Experts Urge Caution About Delta-8 Use
About Cannin: Your Cannabis Stocks Resource
78% of Cannin’s fundamentals prove true within 30 days or less on 100+ recommendations over the past 2 years.
Cannin is your #1 trusted resource for cannabis stocks. Our global team of experts evaluates all emerging cannabis stock investing opportunities. In fact, we aggregate hundreds of hours of financial research and provide tips on the best cannabis stocks for 2021.
Use Cannin as your resource for:
Market analysts expect the marijuana and hemp industry will have an annual value exceeding $75 Billion in the next decade. Is it too late to invest in marijuana stocks? No! This is the perfect time to invest.
Are you looking to buy stock in hemp companies or marijuana companies for 2021? If so, are you interested in new penny hemp stock companies? Or, looking for the best Canadian cannabis stocks to invest in? Maybe, you’re looking to leverage the power of algorithmic stock trading to beat the cannabis market? We can help.
Are you interested in cannabis stocks like Curaleaf, Trulieve, Aurora Cannabis, Charlotte’s Web, Canopy Growth, or Hemp Inc.?
Predict price movements of cannabis stocks several hours in advance with our proprietary algorithmic stock trading software.
- +34% Gains in 2022
- +56% Gains in 2021
- +30% Gains in 2020
- +49.8% Gains in 2019
- Backtested since 2012
In fact, we’re so confident you’ll love our algotrading cannabis stock signals, we’re willing to give you a one week risk-free trial to see it for yourself.
Profit from the best cannabis stocks – we’ll show you how at cannin.com.
