Prohibition has robbed humanity and society from the many benefits of the Cannabis Sativa L plant. In the past several years we have seen almost seismic shifts in policy and regulation including full recreational legalization and medical marijuana programs. With the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, however, legalized hemp has exploded in popularity which provided many benefits including CBD and exploring additional cannabinoids.
One of these new cannabinoids of focus is delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol. Delta-8 THC, or D8 for short, is an THC isomer that is very similar, but not exactly like it’s cousin delta-9(delta-9 is the majority of THC found in cannabis that gives us the high). Leafly has a breakdown of some of the differences between D8 and D9. CBD has recently been removed from the controlled substances schedule list while delta-9 remains firmly at schedule 1. What is interesting is that delta-8, derived from hemp, falls into some interesting legal loopholes regarding its status. This site provides a breakdown of the why, however the TL;DR is that D8 coming from USDA compliant hemp is legal while D8 coming from marijauna would not be.
With all this coming together, I became aware of some D8 vape carts and began investigating. The first vendor I found was 3chi. After reviewing their lab reports, emailing them with several questions, and checking with the actual lab, I decided it was a safe avenue to pursue and ordered my first cart. I did end up ordering from a third party seller and received one of their older formulations with only 80% D8-THC instead of what they have listed now of 90% D8.
The .5mL cart requires a vape pen, which I also purchased along with this order. I kept myself completely sober for the first try of D8, including limiting my intake of CBD to only my morning oil. I waited for the kids to go to bed then took my first hit.
My first hit was a long draw which lasted 3-4 seconds. I didn’t change any settings on the pen, I believe it was at the max voltage of 4V. The intake was rather smooth and the exhaled vapor had a strong Limonene flavor, as expected by the 11.2mg/g in the cart according to the lab results.
The effects began to take hold within 10 minutes. 20 minutes in and I was feeling the full sensation of delta-8. It was way more of a body feeling with much less of an anxious head-rush that can be accompanied with delta-9. I felt very euphoric going into the hour mark and also experienced being lost in thoughts, and some time distortion effects as well. The D8 also produced a rhythmic pulsing throughout my body, starting at my core and going to my extremities, much like the waves of the ocean. It was very steady and very calming.
After about an hour I started to develop the munchies, but nothing overpowering like I have experienced with full delta-9 cannabis. I also noticed no dry mouth sensation, which I thought was curious. I also noticed my mood was uplifted and relaxed, however, I was not full on laughing like what would happen with delta-9 cannabis.
Overall, for a legal product, these delta-8 carts are amazing. The price-point is attractive since it takes so little for it to work. Since this is our current only legal option in NY, and I found the effects to be very pleasant, I foresee myself continuing to use delta-8 carts.
As a reminder, be sure to always verify the COA with any CBD/hemp product to ensure you are getting a safe product.
