What is Delta 8 THC?
Updated: Oct 25, 2021
What Is Delta-8-THC?
According to the National Cancer Institute, delta-8-THC can be defined as:
“An analogue of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with antiemetic, anxiolytic, appetite-stimulating, analgesic, and neuroprotective properties. [Delta-8-THC] binds to the cannabinoid G-protein coupled receptor CB1, located in the central nervous system…This agent exhibits a lower psychotropic potency than [delta-9-THC], the primary form of THC found in cannabis.”
Delta-8-THC is chemically different from delta-9-THC by only a few atomic bonds and still offers a potent high of its own. While delta-8-THC only exists naturally in fractions of a percent, companies are finding value in concentrating esoteric cannabinoids for their unique effects and applications.
How is the delta-8-THC distillate made? This product is made by employing a thin film distillation–fractional distillation–of locally cultivated cannabis flower and trim. The isolation of the delta-8-THC compound in this process is accomplished through variations of temperature, vacuums, and scientific equipment to convert delta-9-THC over to delta-8-THC. This allows purification and isolation of specific cannabinoids by removing any residual solvents, impurities, and any other undesirable compounds.
This yields the most potent and refined end-product that offers the user one of the most clean, potent and unique delta-8-THC products on the legal market today. Most dried cannabis flower contains less than 1% of delta-8-THC, so getting a product that contains a substantial amount of this cannabinoid can only be done through extraction, isolation, conversion, and refinement of dried cannabis flower.
What should consumers know about delta-8 THC? For one, delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol has a lower psychotropic potency than its close cousin delta-9 THC, which is the most abundant cannabis constituent found in cannabis. Second, it is known to connect to both CB1 and CB2 receptors in our bodies.