The Rise and Fall of Delta-8 THC in Washington State?

In Washington state, delta-8 THC is in the crosshairs of the law. The state has decided that it wants to start regulating or ban the cannabinoid outright.

Now you might be wondering, why has Washington suddenly decided to condemn delta-8 THC?

Find out as we tell you everything you need to know about delta-8 and why it’s gotten some experts worried.

What is Delta-8 THC?

Delta-8 THC is an analog of regular delta-9 THC. That means that chemically, it’s almost the exact same thing as delta-9 THC, with an atomic difference.

Without going too deep into chemistry, there’s one bond shifted in delta-8 THC, which makes it structurally different from delta-9 THC. However, that tiny difference makes delta-8 THC distinctly different from delta-9 THC.

What Does Delta-8 THC Do?

Delta-8 THC is known as THC-lite. That’s because it has the same effects as delta-9 THC but with less potency.

Some estimates think that delta-8 THC is about half as potent as delta-9 THC. Although many people are interested in mind-blowing potency, sometimes less is more.

That’s because sometimes delta-9 THC can be too potent. You’ve likely had an experience where you’ve felt intense paranoia, anxiety, panic attacks, and even dizziness or headaches from delta-9 THC.

On top of that, some people are more likely to experience these adverse effects from delta-9 THC.

Since delta-8 THC is less psychoactive, it’s much less likely to feel any adverse side effects. That means delta-8 THC provides focus, relaxation, anti-anxiety, and anti-nausea, and appetite stimulation without the possibility of overdoing it.

Why People Love Delta-8 THC

Besides the mild nature of delta-8 THC, there’s another huge reason why it’s become so popular. It mostly comes down to the fact that it’s easy to get in states without legal cannabis.

Since some states have no cannabis laws or restrictive cannabis laws, people have been flocking to delta-8 THC because of its mildly psychoactive properties.

Why Is Washington Thinking About Banning Delta-8 THC?

Ever since delta-8 THC hit the market, there’s been concern among lawmakers. For starters, no one is quite sure about the legality of delta-8 THC, which exists in a grey area.

Some people argue that delta-8 THC is legal because of the 2018 farm bill. The law legalized ‘industrial hemp,’ which are cannabis plants that have less than 0.3% THC content.

The law also allowed the creation of natural industrial hemp products, like CBD. In fact, most of the CBD products lining the shelves of Washington dispensaries and all over the country are from industrial hemp.

Since industrial hemp products are technically legal, some people have interpreted that all industrial hemp products are legal. Now here’s where things get a little tricky.

Delta-8 THC is a natural cannabinoid, which can be found in very small amounts in cannabis plants. However, the amount of Delta-8 THC found in industrial hemp is barely ever above 0.1%.

That means you would need a ton of industrial hemp just to produce a little bit of delta-8 THC naturally. So that’s why producers performed a bit of chemical wizardry to create delta-8 THC from CBD.

Instead of extracting delta-8 naturally, producers convert CBD into delta-9 THC, then convert that delta-9 THC into delta-8 THC. This lab-made delta-8 THC is where Washington state has drawn the line.

They’re concerned about the synthetic nature of most of the delta-8 THC on the market because of the chemical process. There are no standard testing procedures or regulations, which means that many delta-8 products could have leftover chemicals in them from the conversion process.

Lawmakers are also concerned because there haven’t been many studies about high amounts of delta-8 THC. Although delta-8 THC is in most cannabis products, they’re always in tiny amounts.

Larger, more concentrated amounts of delta-8 THC in many products could have side effects that the industry is unaware of. For these reasons, Washington and other states are thinking of putting an end to delta-8 THC products, at least for now.

Goodbye Delta-8 THC?

It’s possible that delta-8 THC could end up getting pulled off the shelves of dispensaries in Washington. However, Washington already has recreational cannabis, which means getting cannabis products is simple.

All you need to do is walk into a high-quality dispensary like Fire and Frost Cannabis in Vancouver, Washington and take your pick. Fire and Frost is filled to the brim with the best flower, concentrates, edibles, and much more.

There’s so much to choose from that you likely won’t even notice the absence of delta-8 THC products.