Is Delta 8 the Hemp Industry’s “Delta 8 Bath Salts?”

First things first: unlike the iconic Miami man who ate someone’s face while high on delta 8 bath salts, taking Delta 8 is not likely to transform you into a zombie. (We’re not talking about the kind of delta 8 bath salts you use to relax in the tub, by the way.) But have we caught your interest? Good.

Hopefully, you’ve heard about Delta 8 by now. Virtually everyone’s discussing it online. It’s the best thing to happen to bread in a long time. What was once groundbreaking about CBD is now an old hat. Actually, no; the CBD industry is merely swamped with useless products. Celebrities like Martha Stewart, Travis Barker, and Kristen Bell have recently entered the CBD market to cash in on fans’ admiration for them. The temperature is soaring.

OK, let’s get back to our original subject: Delta 8, also written as 8.

You’ve probably heard about THC unless you’ve been hiding out in a cave for the past several years. THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. It’s responsible for the pleasant euphoria known as a “high.”

Now, then, just what is this mysterious Delta 8?

Delta 8 THC is an isomer of the more common Delta 9 THC. In chemistry, two identical molecules might have slightly different molecular structures and be referred to as isomers. If you want to put it simply, Delta 8 is just another kind of THC. Although the effects of Delta 8 are subtler and milder than those of Delta 9, they are nonetheless somewhat intoxicating and undeniably still THC.

Buying Delta 8 at the supermarket, gas station, truck stop, or CBD shop seems counterintuitive if it is still THC. If I’m not mistaken, the legal threshold for THC in hemp is 0.3%. A shortsighted legal loophole is a solution to these issues. Since Delta 8 is theoretically produced from industrial hemp but is neither specifically listed nor outlawed in the farm bill, it exists in legal limbo. Some people, especially those with an eye on the bottom line, could see legal ambiguity as a positive thing, but those who have worked tirelessly to ensure that CBD can be sold lawfully, as well as law enforcement, might find it unsettling.

However, hold on there; if Delta 8 occurs naturally in hemp, then it should be allowed. Here’s the catch, though. Due to its low natural abundance in plants, delta 8 has proven difficult to synthesize in large quantities or to extract in meaningful amounts. Almost all commercially available Delta 8 is man-made.

How it’s made:

Isomerization involves subjecting a single cannabinoid, such as CBD or THC present in hemp, through a sequence of chemical processes. To review, an isomer is the same molecule but with a different atomic order. So, you take cannabinoids like Delta 9 THC or CBD, which are naturally occurring and sourced from hemp, dissolve them in a solvent, and then boil them in a powerful acid to create new isomers, like Delta 8 or even Delta 10. Although many sellers and extractors refer to Delta 8 as a distillate or extract, it is not a true distillate since its chemicals are not fractionated and separated from the original whole plant extract during the distillation process. If we take CBD distillate as an example, it starts with 2-5% THC (a real full spectrum extract) and is distilled down to less than 0.3%, making it farm bill / federally compliant.

Although Delta 8 is neither as harmful nor as similar to delta 8 bath salts as the title of this blog may lead you to believe, the concept of Delta 8 is similar to the designer drug market in many respects. In a secret laboratory, a scientist may produce an isomer of a popular illegal substance like Ecstasy or DMT. However, because this chemical has had its molecular formula significantly altered, it is not yet considered unlawful. The slightly modified drug mixture is then sold lawfully as “delta 8 bath salts” in a vape shop or gas station, at least until the DEA and other law enforcement authorities declare it unlawful or someone chews another person’s face off.

Despite the catchy name, Delta 8 is just Delta 9 THC that has been chemically modified. delta 8 bath salts for the hemp business, if you will.

Extreme Advertising for the Delta 8

Both as a diet aid and a recreational drug, Delta 8 is being aggressively promoted to the masses. For instance, the Georgia-based CBD company finger board farm offers a “Sky High” tincture with 1500 milligrams of delta 8. What exactly is their advertising saying to the general public? Though less psychedelic than Delta 9 THC, Delta 8 is nonetheless rather potent. Yet “sky high” tinctures like fingerboard farm CBDs are a certain way to get in trouble with the law authorities. Keep in mind that the legal threshold for THC in any form, including the delta 9 isomer and the other isomers like delta 8 and delta 10, is 0.3%, so anything produced from hemp should have less than that. Again, it’s just THC.

Now, the hemp business is already subject to intense scrutiny. The DEA has released a study stating that high THC cannabis is being transported across states under the pretense of “legal hemp.” In our opinion, Delta 8 will only make things worse for the CBD business, which is already under scrutiny from authorities. Even though one may foreseeably exploit a legal gap, that doesn’t make doing so right or ethical. I believe that the main motivations for the current delta 8 frenzies are avarice and the tremendous saturation of the CBD market. Due to COVID-19 and the subsequent precipitous decline in CBD/hemp raw material prices, several industry companies have moved their attention to creating delta 8. High demand has resulted in high prices.

Final thought: 

We’re all for the healing properties and medicinal benefits of cannabinoids like Delta 8 and Delta 9 THC, but we have to speak out against the simultaneous selling of Delta 8 THC and CBD generated from hemp. You can easily find us by searching Fingerboard Store Near Me in Maryland and visiting us to buy delta 8 products Trading in delta 8 outside of the legal cannabis industry is not a good idea. Unlike your hemp-derived full-spectrum CBD oil, you won’t find Delta 8 in a dispensary. 

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