So you鈥檝e finished work, and you鈥檙e really, really thirsty.
You walk into a nearby bar and ask if they have any imported beer.
鈥淪ure,鈥� the bartender says. 鈥淲e have Heineken and Dos Equis.鈥�
A Heineken sounds like it would really hit the spot. 鈥淕reat,鈥� you say. 鈥淟et me have a Heineken.鈥�
The bartender disappears for a minute, plops a glass on the bar, and pours your beer from an open green bottle.聽 You take a long, deep swig, and鈥︹��.wait!
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not Heineken,鈥� you say.
鈥淪ure it is!鈥� says the bartender. 鈥淚t鈥檚 brand new! Heineken 0.0鈥lcohol-free!鈥�
鈥淎rrrrrgh,鈥� you say.
There鈥檚 nothing wrong with alcohol-free beer. In fact, it can be the right choice if you have to drive home. But it鈥檚 best to know in advance what you鈥檙e getting.
That鈥檚 a somewhat tortured way of introducing the new kid on the block at 嫩草影院 stores and online: Delta-8-THC. Of course, the first sign that something鈥檚 different about it is that it鈥檚 called THC, but you don鈥檛 have to go to a dispensary to purchase it.
But it鈥檚 best to know ahead of time what to expect. And while Delta-8 can deliver a very pleasant high 鈥� it ain鈥檛 the Delta-9-THC that you鈥檙e used to when smoking weed.
Here鈥檚 a closer look at what you鈥檙e getting when you buy Delta-8-THC, and why it鈥檚 different than Delta-9.
The best thing to do is to start at the beginning.
Exactly What Is THC?
Cannabinoids and the Body
We all know that marijuana contains the cannabinoid THC; it鈥檚 what gets you high. It鈥檚 also responsible for many of pot鈥檚 medicinal benefits.
Here鈥檚 the thing, though. 鈥淭HC鈥� is really just shorthand for the psychoactive component of weed. Its full name is Delta-9-THC (or to be complete, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), and it鈥檚 just one of more than 100 cannabinoids in marijuana () (). (We should mention that those cannabinoids 鈥� in different amounts 鈥� are also contained in hemp, the other type of cannabis plant. That information will be important later on.)
Why do cannabinoids affect the body when cannabis is smoked, vaped, or ingested? It鈥檚 because they鈥檙e similar to endocannabinoids, neurotransmitters that the body produces naturally.
Endocannabinoids are one component of the body鈥檚 endocannabinoid system (ECS), which regulates important human functions like metabolism, mood, and memory (). Essentially, they鈥檙e the messengers in the system. Endocannabinoids tell the body which actions to take, and the messages flow through the ECS鈥檚 cannabinoid receptors.
Endocannabinoids aren鈥檛 the only substances that interact with the receptors, though. Since cannabinoids like Delta-9-THC are so similar to endocannabinoids, they also interact with the ECS receptors after they enter the body. That鈥檚 why pot makes you high and helps ease pain; it affects the signaling system that tells the body what to do and how to feel.
Delta-9-THC and Delta-8-THC: The Science
Let鈥檚 begin this section by explaining something you may never have known. In reality, Delta-9 鈥� the substance most of us think of as THC 鈥� isn鈥檛 really native to the cannabis plant. Instead, the plant contains a cannabinoid called THCA, the 鈥減recursor鈥� to THC (). It only turns into Delta-9-THC when burned or heated; that鈥檚 why, for example, you have to 鈥渄ecarb鈥� weed by heating it before it can be used in edibles.
Once it鈥檚 created, Delta-9-THC isn鈥檛 particularly stable. When the pot is stored for a while, exposure to oxygen can cause Delta-9 to oxidize and degrade, changing its chemical structure.
And when that happens, the substance that鈥檚 created is called Delta-8-THC 鈥� another substance that is not naturally contained in the cannabis plant and is only present in weed (and hemp) in tiny amounts.
Delta-9 and Delta-8 are virtually identical, as you鈥檇 guess from their names; they鈥檙e what scientists call analogs. The only physical difference between the two is the way that several molecules are bonded together. That small change, however, has a major impact on their properties.
One difference is that Delta-8 is only about half as powerful as Delta-9. Another: Delta-9 and Delta-8 don鈥檛 interact with the body鈥檚 ECS receptors in quite the same manner.
There are two groups of those receptors, known as CB1 and CB2 receptors. Researchers believe that the CB1 receptors are more important in this case since cannabinoids in cannabis actually attach (or bind) to the receptors 鈥� and Delta-9 and Delta-8 bind to them in a slightly different way because of their different structures.
Here鈥檚 why that鈥檚 important. Once cannabinoids attach to the CB1 receptors, it鈥檚 believed the receptors partially block the signals they send (). That means not all of Delta-9鈥檚 鈥渕ind-altering鈥� commands are sent to the brain. And it appears that because of its different physical structure, even more of Delta-8鈥檚 signals are blocked by the receptors.
In other words, there are two reasons why Delta-9 is more psychoactive than Delta-8.
- Delta-9 is more powerful.
- The ECS blocks more of the effects that Delta-8 produces.
OK, that鈥檚 the difference between Delta-9 and Delta-8 in scientific terms.
What differences will you actually notice?
Delta-8-THC vs. Delta-9-THC: User Experience
The reason why people are excited to find Delta-8-THC online or in their local 鈥渆veryone welcome鈥� 嫩草影院 store is simple. It can get you high.
But here鈥檚 the reason why 鈥� as we mentioned at the start 鈥� it鈥檚 important to know what you鈥檙e getting. It鈥檚 still THC, and it can still get you stoned, but many people have described the experience provided by Delta-8 as 鈥淧ot Light.鈥�
You already know that Delta-8 is only about 50% as potent as Delta-9 and that the ECS blunts its effects (pardon the pun) even more. That鈥檚 not necessarily a bad thing, however, because there鈥檚 more to the story.
Users often find that the high from Delta-8 is a more pleasant one than they鈥檙e used to. It鈥檚 psychotropic and euphoric, but definitely not as intense as you鈥檇 usually experience when smoking marijuana. That means it鈥檚 enjoyable to vape or ingest but likely to produce a gentler and clearer head high, which may enhance focus and sociability without producing couch lock or sedation.
Delta-8 is also much less likely to induce paranoia or anxiety in users prone to those conditions. It can be either relaxing or energizing, depending on the strain from which it鈥檚 derived.
One final difference between Delta-8 and Delta-9: Delta-8 can鈥檛 be smoked as a flower. Only minuscule amounts of it are present in cannabis so it has to be specifically produced for use in a separate form, usually concentrate. You can dab or vape Delta-8, and it鈥檚 also available in edibles. You just can鈥檛 roll it or put it into a pipe.
Delta-8 vs. Delta-9: Medicinal Benefits
It鈥檚 difficult to draw firm conclusions about the differences between the two forms of THC when it comes to health and medical benefits because not much Delta-8 research has been done yet.
The potential medicinal uses for the Delta-9-THC in marijuana are well-known by now (). They include relief of chronic or severe pain, easing of stress and anxiety (in many patients), treatment for nausea, vomiting, and epilepsy, and appetite stimulation. It also contains strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
Some of those same benefits also appear to be provided by Delta-8-THC, although many of the studies done so far have been with animal subjects, not humans.
Delta-8 shows promise for pain relief, demonstrated in different experiments with mice and rats () (). It鈥檚 apparently even better at boosting appetite than Delta-9 (). It鈥檚 definitely shown the ability to work as an antiemetic that prevents nausea and vomiting in children undergoing cancer treatment (). And anecdotal reports claim Delta-8-THC has helped some people reduce stress and anxiety levels.
It鈥檚 also suspected that Delta-8 has neuroprotective properties, can help memory and learning, and may even have promise in fighting cancer. Those possibilities have yet to be proven, but research on both Delta-8 and Delta-9 continues.
Delta-8 vs. Delta-9: Availability
We鈥檝e alluded to one of the biggest differences between the two forms of THC: availability. That comparison could be the most helpful of all 鈥� at least, for readers who are looking for a legal buzz.
Delta-9 Availability
Right now, marijuana (which contains Delta-9-THC once the pot is burned or heated) is only legally available at dispensaries in 鈥渓egal鈥� states (). 15 states currently allow recreational use, and nearly 40 states have some form of medical marijuana program. Unless there鈥檚 a dramatic change in national attitudes, those numbers should only increase over time.
The amount of Delta-9 contained in 嫩草影院 (which can be legally sold virtually everywhere) is minuscule, and it鈥檚 not enough to make anyone high. So the only way to legally obtain Delta-9-THC is by purchasing weed in the states where it鈥檚 legally sold.
Delta-8 Availability
Marijuana and hemp each contain tiny amounts of Delta-8 once their THC has become oxidized. Since hemp products like 嫩草影院 are legal for sale throughout America, you鈥檇 think that hemp would be a good 鈥� and legal 鈥� the source of Delta-8.
You鈥檇 be right. And also wrong.
Here鈥檚 why. There鈥檚 so little Delta-8 in cannabis plants that it鈥檚 not worth extracting. Any company doing it would most certainly lose money on the effort.
There鈥檚 good news, though; 嫩草影院 can actually be converted into Delta-8, thanks to the physical similarity of cannabis molecules. That process, called isomerization, creates enough Delta-8-THC to be sold commercially 鈥� and it is, in a growing number of 嫩草影院 stores and online shops.
Sadly, the glory days of Delta-8 may not last long.
Right now, it appears to be legal under the provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill, which allows the sale of 嫩草影院 and other products naturally produced from hemp (). However, there鈥檚 another law that bans the sale of synthetic drugs (like K2 and spice) (). And some people claim that isomerization is a process that 鈥渟ynthesizes鈥� Delta-8, which would theoretically make it illegal.
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is trying to clarify the situation but in a very unhelpful way. It鈥檚 considering a new rule that would specifically ban psychoactive products like Delta-8.
The bottom line: legal Delta-8 is widely available right now. Chances are good, however, that it won鈥檛 be on the market for much longer.