What is Delta 8 THC

 

Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, also called delta-8 THC, is a psychoactive chemical that is found in the Cannabis sativa plant, which includes both marijuana and hemp. Delta-8 THC is one of more than 100 cannabinoids that are naturally made by the cannabis plant. However, the cannabis plant doesn't have much of it. Because of this, cannabidiol from hemp is usually used to make concentrated amounts of delta-8 THC (CBD).

 

Delta-8 THC products have not been tested or approved by the FDA for safe use in any situation. This is important for people to know. They may be sold in ways that are bad for public health, and kids and pets should not be able to get to them.

 

 

 

Here are 5 things you should know about delta-8 THC to keep yourself and the people you care about safe from dangerous products:

 

 

 

1. The FDA hasn't looked at or approved delta-8 THC products for safe use, and they may be sold in ways that put the public's health at risk.

 

The FDA is aware of how worried people are getting about delta-8 THC products that are sold in stores and online. The FDA has not looked at these products or said that they are safe to use in any way. Concerns include differences in how products are made and how they are labeled, the presence of other cannabinoids and terpenes, and different levels of delta-8 THC. Some of these products may also just say "hemp products" on the label, which could confuse people who think "hemp" means "non-psychoactive." Also, the FDA is worried about the number of products on the market that contain delta-8 THC but have not been approved by the FDA for therapeutic or medical use. Not only is it against the law to sell unapproved products with unproven therapeutic claims, but it can also put people in danger because these products have not been proven to be safe or effective. This deceptive marketing of unproven treatments is very bad for public health because patients and other consumers may use them instead of approved therapies to treat serious or even fatal diseases.

 

 

 

2. The FDA has heard about bad things happening with products that contain delta-8 THC.

 

Between December 1, 2020, and February 28, 2022, the FDA got 104 reports of bad things happening to people who used delta-8 THC products. Of these 104 reports of bad events:

 

 

 

77% were done on adults, 8% were done on children younger than 18 years old, and 15% didn't say how old the patient was.

 

55 percent needed help, such as an evaluation by emergency medical services or a stay in the hospital.

 

66 percent said they had bad experiences after eating food with delta-8 THC in it (e.g., brownies, gummies).

 

Some bad effects were hallucinations, vomiting, tremors, anxiety, dizziness, confusion, and even losing consciousness.

 

Between January 1, 2021, when the code for delta-8 THC products was added to the database, and February 28, 2022, 2,362 cases of exposure to these products were reported to poison control centers. Of the 2,362 people who were exposed:

 

 

 

58 percent were done on adults, 41 percent were done on children younger than 18 years old, and 1 percent didn't say how old the patient was.

 

Forty percent of these cases involved unintentional exposure to delta-8 THC, and 82 percent of these cases involved children.

 

70% of the patients needed to be evaluated in a health care facility, and 8% of those were admitted to a critical care unit. 4/5 of the patients who needed to be evaluated in a health care facility were children.

 

The medical outcome code for one child's case was "death."

 

3. Delta-8 THC makes people feel high and gets them high.

 

Delta-8 THC has the same psychoactive and intoxicating effects as delta-9 THC, which is the chemical that makes people feel "high" when they use cannabis. The FDA is aware that delta-8 THC products can make people feel "high." The FDA is also worried that delta-8 THC products could expose people to much higher levels of the substance than are naturally found in hemp cannabis raw extracts. So, we can't use how people used cannabis in the past to figure out how safe these products are for humans.

 

 

 

4. To make the concentrations of delta-8 THC claimed on the market, delta-8 THC products often use chemicals that could be harmful.

 

The amount of delta-8 THC that is naturally found in hemp is very low. Other cannabinoids in hemp, like CBD, need to be combined with other chemicals to make delta-8 THC (i.e., synthetic conversion). Some worries about this process are:

 

 

 

Through this chemical synthesis process, some companies may make delta-8 THC with household chemicals that could be dangerous. To change the color of the end product, more chemicals may be added. Due to the chemicals used in the process, the final delta-8 THC product may contain potentially harmful by-products (contaminants). It is also unknown whether or not other potential contaminants may be present in or made from the starting raw material. Some of these chemicals, like the ones used to make delta-8 THC and its byproducts, can be harmful if they are eaten or breathed in.

 

Delta-8 THC products may be made in places that aren't controlled or clean, which could lead to the presence of dangerous contaminants or other substances that could be harmful.

 

5. Keep Delta-8 THC products out of the reach of kids and animals.

 

Manufacturers are putting these products in boxes and putting labels on them in ways that may appeal to children (gummies, chocolates, cookies, candies, etc.). You can buy these products online and at many stores, like convenience stores and gas stations, where there may not be an age limit. As we've already talked about, there have been many poison control center alerts about children who were exposed to products with delta-8 THC. Also, animal poison control centers have found that pets are getting into these products by accident much more often. Keep these things away from children and animals.