Hemp High Breakthrough: Delta-8 THC Converted from CBD's - Good or Bad?

Have you heard of delta-8 THC?

The product emerged in the last couple of years among consumers as an alternative choice to getting high from legal and illegal marijuana.

Delta-8 THC is a component of the cannabis plant. Consumers are increasingly taking advantage of the fact it's listed under hemp and therefore legal. It's also cheaper than legal cannabis.

You can even order delta-8 THC via the mail making it an attractive alternative to buying THC-9 cannabis from the illegal market.

So far everything sounds groovy for consumers, right? Not so fast. There are always two sides to a story.

There's a question of safety involved. 

It takes a proficient and experienced chemist to ensure the safe conversion of CBD molecules into THC molecules. Inappropriate or imprecise techniques could potentially result in dangerous impurities in the final product.

In a recent report from the Brightfield Group, a marijuana analytics company, the demand for hemp-driven products has skyrocketed.

The new super star - delta-8 - has created a $2 billion-dollar industry in the last two years. It's also created problems.

Some retailers of the product avoid clarifying to buyers that the compound is derived from hemp and the possibility of something bad happening is greater than buying legal delta-9 products.

In addition, the report warns that the rising popularity of delta-8 THC in areas where cannabis is still illegal could negatively affect potential support for cannabis reform.

The fact of the matter is there's an unregulated, psychoactive hemp-driven product flooding the cannabis market.

The Food and Drug Administration and Center for Disease Control have issued warnings to companies illegally selling delta-products online.

The key to this gray area lies in the passage of the 2018 federal Farm Act that legalized hemp. Delta-8 hasn't had to deal with the same testing requirements as cannabis. The result was a legal loophole.

As it stands, the Farm Act is up for renewal this year and we'll find out if this legal loophole lasts or is closed.