What Is Delta-8 THC - DistroMike

The DistroMike Podcast

Hello, I'm Michael from Distromike and today we're going to be giving you an overview on Delta-8 THC.

Now I'm sure many of you have either heard or seen Delta-8 in the market, but maybe you're not sure how it's made, where it came from, and what really is Delta 8.

Delta-8 THC is going to be legalized due to the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp and all its derivatives as long as it contained less than 0.3% Delta 9 THC. So the main reason you're able to find Delta 8 products in smoke shops, gas stations, convenience stores, and online is because Delta 8 THC, if converted properly, is going to have less than 0.3% Delta 9 THC, thus making it a legal hemp product.

Now you may be asking Delta-8 THC, Delta-9 THC, aren't those sort of the same thing? And while they have a lot of similarities, their molecular structure is going to be different. Delta-8 THC is going to have a double carbon bond at the eighth atom, while Delta-9 THC is going to have a double carbon bond at the ninth atom. So that is going to be your scientific molecular difference, which is going to separate Delta 8 into hemp and Delta 9 THC into cannabis.

So you may be asking like, is Delta-8 grown? Is Delta-8 extracted? How is Delta-8 made?

Delta-8 is not grown. Delta-8 is also not extracted. Delta-8 is going to be converted, meaning labs these days are purchasing large amounts of CBD isolate. They're then putting it through a conversion process, where they're adding heat, catalysts, potentially some acids, and they're actually rearranging the CBD molecules and turning them into Delta-8 THC.

So there's no such thing as Delta 8 THC flower. The only way to get Delta 8 THC at large scales is going to be converting it from CBD isolate. Now you can find very, very small, minute amounts of Delta 8 THC in cannabis. However, there's no way to grow a Delta 8 THC flower.

So if you go into a store, you're most likely going to see Delta 8 vapes, probably Delta-8 edibles, and potentially even Delta-8 flower. So the Delta-8 vapes are going to be made with Delta-8 distillate that was converted from CBD isolate. Your Delta 8 edibles are going to also be made with Delta 8 distillate that was converted from CBD isolate.

But when you get to your Delta-8 flower, a normal person might think, "Oh, Delta 8 flower, this must have been grown this way. They chopped down the cannabis plant. It was Delta-8. Now we're going to sell that flower." That's not actually what's happening.

What's actually happening is brands and companies are purchasing hemp flower or CBD flower, and they're infusing it with Delta-8 distillate. So when you buy a Delta 8 flower or a Delta-8 pre-roll, it's not actually Delta-8 grown flower. Most of the time it'll be a CBD flower that's been infused with Delta 8 oil.

Because of that, we normally don't recommend smoking Delta-8 flower. Smoking a distillate isn't the most pleasant experience. It's sort of harsh. It's not very enjoyable, and the high sort of sucks. If you're going to be smoking Delta 8, we would always prefer and recommend that you either smoke a Delta-8 vape or you eat a Delta-8 edible.

So now let's get into the effects differences between Delta-8 and Delta-9. They are going to have very similar effects, meaning if you're used to smoking cannabis flower or a Delta-9 THC vape cartridge, and now you start smoking a Delta-8 flower or eat Delta-8 edibles, you're going to get a relatively similar high. There aren't going to be too many major differences.

However, there are a couple of flaws in our opinion when it comes to Delta 8. One of the biggest flaws is going to be the smoothness and the overall experience.

Now, when you smoke Delta-9 THC, maybe you cough a little bit, maybe it burns a little bit. Delta-8, on the other hand, is most likely going to burn quite a bit more and make you cough quite a bit more. It's overall just going to be a harsher, less enjoyable experience. So even though they both are going to get you high, there are definite pros to consuming traditional Delta-9 THC compared to Delta-8 THC.

However, the reason Delta-8 has really taken over part of the world at this point is Delta-8 is readily available in almost every state across the country. It's a little bit different now as some states have banned Delta-8 THC, but federally Delta-8 is a legal product across all 50 states. When Delta-8 first came out, you know, three or four years ago, I actually filmed a video and I said in that video, Delta-8 is probably not going to stay around. It's essentially just THC. There's no way the government's going to allow us to sell THC in smoke shops and gas stations and convenience stores. Here we are four years later, Delta 8 is still booming. It's still everywhere.

So on a federal level, Delta-8 THC is legal. However, on a state level, it varies state by state. Many states sort of got ransacked with Delta-8 products and they weren't really expecting or wanting there to be a cannabis product market industry building in their state. So what states started to do is pass bills banning THC isomers. Even though the farm bill states that any hemp product or its derivatives, as long as it has less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, is going to be legal, states have the ability to override that rule. They are passing bills banning THC isomers, which are banning Delta 8 THC, Delta 10, Delta 11. Any sort of Delta THC product with a number behind it is going to be banned if a THC isomer ban bill is passed.

At the moment, there's somewhere around 15 states that have completely banned the sale or manufacturing of Delta-8 THC, but we still have a good amount of states where Delta-8 THC is legal. Over the past several years, Delta-8 has really taken over everywhere. Almost any smoke shop you walk into these days is going to have it. A lot of convenience stores, a lot of gas stations.

And sort of the cool thing about Delta 8 is in states where cannabis is illegal or not readily available, you will most likely be able to find Delta 8 products. Now, the Delta 8 high may not be as nice as the Delta-9 THC high, but if you have no other options, it may be a better option to go into a smoke shop and purchase a Delta 8 product or go online and purchase a Delta-8 product compared to, say, buying these from a local black market weed dealer or buying traditional Delta 9 cannabis in a market that's not legal. It's not always an easy thing to do. If you don't have friends in the industry, if you don't know people who grow or sell or are involved in the cannabis space, getting your hands on cannabis in a non-cannabis legal state is relatively hard, which is why you've seen such a big boom and uptick in Delta 8 sales across the country.

The reality is people want to get high. People want to be able to readily and easily get their hands on THC products. And so, with this Delta-8 boom, it's made it much easier for almost anyone to get THC products, whether you're in a legal or non-legal state.

Now, over the past few years, there have been more and more restrictions placed on Delta-8 THC. Some states are requiring child-proof packaging and certain lab tests to be done. They want to make sure that the packaging is not marketing to children, which are all pretty valid concerns. The truth of the matter is there's quite a few bad actors within the Delta-8 space, and you will find a lot of subpar products. You will find a lot of brands and products that, if you look at them, it looks like they are straight marketing to children, which is really not the method or the beliefs that we want to get behind. I personally don't believe that if you're underage, you should be smoking weed or Delta-8 or Delta-9. And so, with some of these rules and regulations that have been passed in these states, they're sort of combating and trying to make it a legitimate industry.

If you look at things like alcohol and traditional medical or recreational cannabis, there's always some sort of age limit and packaging restrictions. They want to ensure the products are quality and that what's stated on the box is actually inside. While many people criticize these Delta-8 regulations, they're necessary and help make the industry more legitimate and less likely to be undermined.

The fact is, if Delta-8 THC is sold everywhere and young children can access it, or if there's marketing directed towards children, it's a very bad look and not the image our industry wants. So while not all regulations are good, some are needed. Many of these new regulations are realistic and understandable, not excessive.

Now, let's address some other things. Does Delta-8 show up on a drug test? Absolutely. Delta-8 THC is still THC. If you're subject to drug testing, there's no way to consume a Delta-8 THC product and pass a drug test. Some people may call it diet weed or diet THC because it's not Delta-9, but its molecular structure is still Delta THC. So if you're subject to drug testing, you can't consume Delta-8 and pass a drug test.

Lastly, let's talk about the future of Delta-8. Four years ago, I predicted that Delta 8 would probably be gone within six months. Yet, here we are, still selling Delta-8. The future of Delta-8 is uncertain. Its legality is due to the 2018 Farm Bill, which is up for renewal this year. If changes are made to the Farm Bill, the Delta-8 THC loophole might be closed. If it is, Delta-8 will no longer be allowed to be sold, especially in gas stations, smoke shops, and convenience stores.

However, if the Farm Bill remains unchanged, the legality of Delta 8 will default to the state level. Currently, some states regulate Delta-8 THC with specific requirements and may even impose taxes on its sale. In such markets, Delta-8 will likely continue to be sold as long as the Farm Bill doesn't change

However, when it comes to the rest of the country, it seems like every year more and more states are trying to ban Delta-8 THC. New bills are being introduced in the Senate and the House almost every year to outlaw Delta-8 THC in states where it's currently legal.

Much of the industry has grouped together to fight off many of these bans. However, we won't be able to fight them off forever, and we don't win them all. There are states every year that outlaw Delta-8 THC, even though the industry as a whole is trying to prevent that from happening. Factually speaking, there's only so much we can do.

At the moment, Delta-8 is legal in the majority of states and is federally legal. By the end of this year, with the Farm Bill being renewed, Delta-8 THC may no longer be legal on a federal level, or it may remain legal. On the state level, it's legal in some states and illegal in other states. And how much longer do we have to sell Delta-8 THC? No one really knows. So get it while you can, enjoy it while you can. It may not be around forever.

If you have any other questions about Delta-8 THC or any other cannabinoid, please let us know. We're DistroMike. We're here to educate, inform, and let people know the truth about everything cannabis, CBD, and vape. Thank you for watching. I'll talk to you soon.

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