Is Delta-8 THC Dangerous | Cannabis Life Network

Is Delta-8 THC dangerous? What is it and why does it have a bad rap?

Delta-8 THC is a psychoactive compound found in cannabis. A minor cannabinoid, it is one of the many natural compounds in cannabis that interact with our body’s endocannabinoid system.

Delta-8-THC is similar to delta-9-THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis.

Like Delta-9, Delta-8 THC has medicinal and therapeutic benefits, from reducing anxiety and stress to improving appetite and nausea.

Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, Delta-8’s popularity has grown rapidly, accounting for more than 50% of the cannabinoid market.

But is Delta-8 THC dangerous?

Is Delta-8 THC dangerous?

Researchers have not studied delta-8-THC as extensively as delta-9-THC. So it is not fully understood how it can affect the body and brain in the long term. However, given the overall safety profile of cannabis, there is no reason to assume that delta-8-THC is dangerous.

The problems arise from contaminated cultivation to impure extraction processes. Critics point to the Food and Drug Administration’s practical approach to hemp as a problem. So the Farm Bill 2023 talks about introducing regulations for hemp-derived THC like Delta-8.

There is even talk of banning the sale of delta-8 THC altogether.

However, this assumes that federal bureaucrats can successfully regulate an industry. And it ignores the opposite facts. For example, how the FDA contributed to the opioid crisis, to name just one big one.

And with the revolving door of FDA bureaucrats and pharma buddies, the prospect that this is a big club that you’re not a part of increases.

But go down the list and see for yourself. The FDA has approved the following:

• quality
• Cylert
• Darvon/Darvocet
• OF
• PTZ/Metrazol
• Posicor
• Viox

And those are just the drugs they approved and had to recall. What about the shady backroom deals and corporate evil?

What about the reports?

Between 2020 and 2022, the FDA says it received 104 reports of side effects from people who used a delta-8 THC product.

Only 8% were from people under the age of 18. 66% of the adverse effects came from food. And the FDA lists these side effects to include:

• hallucinations
• Vomit
• tremor
• fear
• dizziness
• confusion
• loss of consciousness

In other words, what happens if you eat too much of an edible? Only one case ended in death. But as we’ve covered here, attributing this death to THC alone is suspicious.

The problem likely lies with impure extraction processes, which is why some people believe delta-8 THC is dangerous.

The natural amount of delta-8 in hemp is small, so manufacturers will introduce an additional chemical to convert other cannabinoids like CBD into delta-8-THC.

Some of these manufacturers may use unsafe chemicals, resulting in harmful by-products. However, given the FDA’s track record, we have no reason to believe that their regulation of these products will make consumers safer.

In addition, consumers are currently acting according to their own risk assessment. Of the millions of Americans who like Delta-8-THC, 104 couldn’t bother to find a decent product.

Currently, manufacturers and sellers need to protect themselves from product liability lawsuits and build their brand and a loyal customer base.

But let’s say the FDA gets into the hemp regulation business, and it looks like they will. In this case, the FDA replaces this natural process of consumer regulation of companies.

Under the FDA system, manufacturers do not make money based on meeting consumer needs, but by pleasing and bribing government officials.

If Delta-8 THC is dangerous…

If delta-8 THC is dangerous (and what evidence suggests it?), then wouldn’t the practical solution be to legalize all cannabinoids?

That’s why Americans from non-legal states are buying hemp-derived Delta-8. It’s legal, while Delta-9 isn’t.

Because hemp producers must synthetically convert cannabinoids into Delta-8 through a chemical process, the possibility of contamination is undoubtedly higher than with standard extraction processes.

But if that’s the only problem, then the solution is to legalize all cannabis compounds. Anything other than a free and fair market is dangerous.