A headline in the April 12 issue of the “Chicago Sun -Times” declared: “An unregulated, weed-like drug dubbed ‘CBD on crack’ has spiked in popularity, Now the legal pot industry is calling for a crackdown”
Concerns about Delta 8 CBD products, which are “unregulated” have also surfaced recently in insider publications such as Politico, Leafly, Merry Jane, Green Market Report and Michigan’s own MIRS News (Michigan Information Research Services).
According to the Sun-Times “a growing number of Chicago businesses are now exploiting a loophole in federal law that appears to allow unfettered sale of a trendy hemp by product called Delta-8-THC, which has commonly been described as “marijuana-lite” or “diet weed.”
The newspaper went on to explain that unlicensed retailers all across Chicago such as gas stations, smoke shops, convenience stores and coffee shops are selling Delta 8. “Some places are even dosing food and drinks and allowing consumers to consume on site”
What is Delta 8 THC?
According to a report in Washington DC based “Politico” in the March 25th issue, “Delta 8 THC is an isomer of Delta 9 THC, the compound responsible for marijuana’s intoxicating effects. That means the two are largely the same compound, with slight atomic differences. The vast majority of Delta 8 products aren’t extracted from cannabis. Producers convert plant derived CBD into Delta 8 THC using a chemical process called isomerization. The process combines CBD with a solvent, acid and heat to cause the reaction that turns CBD into THC”.
federal level, all across the USA. Hemp in and of itself has such tiny amounts of THC, it is practically impossible to get high from smoking it. One can only get the desired effect via scientifically processing the CBD in Hemp into Delta 8 THC.
MIRS News, a credible Lansing, Michigan based subscriber only political publication, (costing $2,700 per year for the latest daily scuttlebut on Michigan politics) first sounded the alarm in the Great Lakes State on March 26th. The headline read: “Cannabis Manufacturers Want Cannabis -High Mimics to be Regulated”.
The MIRS story reported on a demand from the “Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association” (MCMA) and its lobbyist Steve Linder, that Michigan “close the loophole of allowing hemp distillate or cannabis plants that mimic a cannabis high to be consumed...outside the formalities of the cannabis industry.” The story went on to say that states such as Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Utah and Rhode Island have already made Delta 8 illegal. It is said a crack down is beginning in Oregon.
However, no one has gotten sick and died from Delta 8 in Michigan or anywhere else.
“I think what’s going on here is Delta 8 is cutting into the sales of big (cannabis) producers” said Chad Morrow, owner of the “Smokers Alley” smoke shop in Westland, which sells the product. “It produces a workable high” which is oftentimes much milder than regular THC and does not last as long” he explained.
Cannabis reform activist, medical patient and entrepreneur Anquenette Sarfoh said “I use Delta 8 every night and Richard (her spouse) likes the gummies better than regular THC ones. I sell Delta 8 on my website and Green Genie in Detroit sells it from my line as well. I love Delta 8 and this so-called crisis is bs. How about starting with an age restriction instead?”
Long time activist and canna business person Jamie Lowell expressed some skepticism about the Delta 8 phenomena. He said in so many words, that Delta 8, if it is pure and properly produced, is a good thing but there is no guarantee this can happen in the real world. He said Delta 8 can be contaminated with “other agents” by unscrupulous dealers, and people will be buying something “without knowing what you got.”
Sam Slosburg, a partner in Michigan based “Delta 8 Oils” agreed with the Politico description of how Delta 8 is produced. He conceded that any unscrupulous person can concoct anything they want and call it whatever they choose, but real Delta 8 is impossible to fake and contains no dangerous chemicals. In simple terms, a chemical derivative called “Lewis Acid” which is found in many compounds including ammonia and baking soda, have the ability, when heated, to bond with CBD molecules and extract them from hemp. Once extracted, the essence is “washed down” with saline and voila-- you got Delta 8. It is then used as an oil or put in candy form such as gummies.
Cutting to the chase, as part of the “research” for this column I consumed a Delta 8 gummi containing 25 mg of Delta 8.
Within 35 minutes after ingesting the candy, I noticed a change in consciousness. Things began to slow down and become more contemplative. I was no longer anxious about things I could not control. I was simply grateful for the sound of the rural stillness around me. In a couple hours I was really enjoying dinner. Had a great conversation with my wife and later called a buddy and we talked about life and politics for an hour or so. Four hours after ingestion, I was feeling very peaceful and cheerful as the “high” began to dissipate in an easygoing way. Watched some TV for a bit, and then went to bed. Woke up in the morning alert and ready to go.
In retrospect, I took my first toke of herb in 1970 in a college dorm room and never stopped enjoying it for the rest of my life. I know some old timers who long for simpler days where no government regulations existed. For all practical purposes, unless you got busted by a cop, or purchased some bad shit from time to time, there were no real consequences. When I got a bad batch I’d sometimes cough and wheeze, and the “high” (if you could call it that) was disappointing. Got knocked on my rear end a few times from eating brownies too quickly without knowing the THC content. That said, myself and my contemporaries are as successful as we chose to be in life.
