HIGHER LEARNING >>>>>> Understanding Delta-8 THC The cannabis plant produces a wide range of potentially beneficial chemicals (sometimes called wellness molecules), including literally hundreds of varieties of cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes. Functionally, flavonoids provide their host plants with pigmentation to attract pollinating insects and have demonstrated significant anticancer efficacy, among other health-giving biochemical mechanisms. Terpenes play the evolutionary role of deterring pests and predators while also attracting pollinating insects via their relatively pungent aromas. Terpenes have also exhibited considerable health benefits in hundreds of peer-reviewed research studies, including anticancer and anti-inflammation properties. The 146 cannabinoids discovered to date, all of which are exclusive to the cannabis plant, have demonstrated a range of wellness attributes. These include reductions in systemic inflammation, decreased seizure activity in epilepsy patients, pain management, relief from depression and anxiety, and even prevention of the neurodegeneration that accompanies common diseases of aging such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Science of Delta-8 THC Recently, the mainstream press has become enamored by a minor, and relatively rare, cannabinoid produced by hemp and cannabis officially dubbed delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Delta-8 THC is not the infamous molecule responsible for the sometimes significant psychoactivity, or “high,” of this herb when smoked or vaporized; that compound is delta-9 THC. Delta-9 and delta-8 THC are chemical siblings that researchers and scientists dub isomers or analogs. This means that they are very similar in terms of their molecular structures and other characteristics. Their minor differences, however, result in variable binding affinities with the microscopic receptors that populate the human endocannabinoid system (ECS). This change in cellular binding produces different outcomes from each compound. In some cases, the various outcomes of cannabinoid analogs are not only “different,” but polar opposite in response. An example is delta-9 THC, which stimulates appetite, while it’s varin analog THCV curbs appetite.
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Delta-9 has shown to be molecularly less stable than delta-8, meaning it transmogrifies, or degrades, into other molecules more easily. In commercial applications, products containing delta-8 THC feature the advantage of a longer shelf life than those formulated with delta-9. Delta-9’s relative instability means that it is prone to degradation, typically via oxidation or exposure to UV light, a process in which it converts to either cannabinol (CBN; a cannabinoid with an especially sedative effect) or delta-8 THC.
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Despite their differences, delta-8 and delta-9 share many attributes. They both, for example, deliver psychoactivity. The discrepancy lies in their relative potency, with delta-9 THC being more psychoactive than the delta-8 variety. However, delta-8 and delta-9 also vary in the qualitative characteristics of their respective psychotropic outcomes. Patient and consumer testimonies indicate that delta-8 THC delivers a sativa-like effect featuring energy, focus, and creativity (helping consumers achieve what some label the flow state), but with a slightly lower psychoactivity level than delta-9. In terms of its presence in an individual plant, delta-8 THC is relatively uncommon and, like other cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG), typically occurs in volumes well under one percent. Rather than plant extraction, commercial production often employs the laboratory synthesis of delta-8 THC and use of cannabidiol (CBD) or delta-9 THC as the starting material. Why are readers only now beginning to hear about delta-8 THC when Colorado and Washington State legalized adult use cannabis nearly a decade ago? Technically, this molecule became federally legal in the United States only as recently as December 2018 with the passage of the Farm Bill.
Market Potential of Delta-8 THC Based on both scientific research studies and anecdotal evidence in the form of consumer and doctor testimonies, delta-8 THC may turn out to be, from an economic and market activity perspective, of greater value than CBD. Thought leaders who advocate this position point to the psychoactivity delivered by delta-8 THC. It typically provides a more mellow and relaxed psychotropic effect than delta-9 THC. Studies indicate that the potency of delta-8 is roughly two-thirds, or 60-70 percent, that of delta-9. Some entrepreneurs are bullish on the market potential of this minor cannabinoid and are making significant investments into widely distributed products featuring the molecule. “I think delta-8 will dwarf the CBD market and can be bigger than any other cannabinoid in any other space,” said Nicholas Warrander, CEO of LiftedMade, in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in January 2021.
A Clinical Doctor Weighs In Dr. Benjamin Caplan is a medical doctor and practicing clinician who serves as Chief Medical Officer for CED Clinic and the CED Foundation in Boston, Massachusetts. In his capacity at the CED Foundation, Caplan has curated a large collection of peer-reviewed scientific research and related literature regarding the medicinal
