Delta-8 — An Unpopular Opinion

Delta-8, or delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, is synthetically derived from CBD and is chemically similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol — the naturally occurring cannabinoid better known simply as THC. Because of this chemical similarity to delta-9 THC, delta-8 THC has very similar effects as its more notorious sibling, causing euphoria, happiness, sedation and so on and so forth.

Because of this delta-8 is hot right now.

Tons of Cannabis | CBD brands are developing delta-8 products and getting in on the buzz (no pun intended). But as with anything and everything cannabis related, this is a potentially slippery slope, and I’m truly concerned about the potential fallout from the marketing and selling of this synthetic cannabinoid.

One reason for delta-8’s popularity with cannabis | CBD brands and consumers alike is that it’s derived from hemp. And with the 2018 farm bill, a federal act passed by Congress effectively legalising hemp and its derivatives in the United States, theoretically at least, this should also make delta-8 THC federally legal.

But it’s never that simple and the legal status of delta-8 THC is at best, hazy.

This is because in the fall of 2020, the DEA issued an “Interim Final Rule” (open for review until October 2021) which stated that