What do I do if I have a bad reaction to delta-8? How is this stuff even made? You asked, we answered.
This story is published as part of the series Highly Legal in partnership with The Examination, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates global health threats, and AL.com, PennLive and USA TODAY. Our team is continuing to report on new cannabis products and we want to hear from you. Share your experience or questions with us here.
Wisconsin doesn't have legal marijuana but its chemical cousins, like delta-8 and others, are widely available all over the state. Lawmakers in Madison are just beginning to engage in a debate about what to do, if anything, about the fast-growing market of hemp-derived products.
After our initial investigation about how these products are causing children and adults to get sick, alarming public health researchers, many readers sent in questions to us.
How is delta-8 made?
Cannabidoil, or CBD, is extracted from a hemp plant and transformed into a flavorless powder with tiny crystals called CBD isolate. The powder is dissolved in a solvent, then combined with an acid. The resulting mixture is heated and neutralized. This process, known as isomerization, changes the position of the carbon double bond from the ninth carbon to the eighth carbon, which is how it gets its name — delta-8. Some delta-8 products are manufactured in a factory while others are made more informally in people’s homes.
If a product claims to be lab-tested, is it safe?
Many delta-8 manufacturers claim their products are “lab-tested” by independent labs that can vouch for their purity and safety. But there is no official lab tasked with running these tests and no government rules or oversight around testing. One recent study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University found that many products had higher concentrations of delta-8 THC than what was advertised. The certificates of analysis for these products were often “misleading or incorrect.” In some cases, researchers found that some labs didn’t even open products sent to them for testing. Instead, they fabricated or copied the analysis.
If I had a bad reaction to a product, how can I report it?
The FDA collects adverse event reports for delta-8 products sold as food and drinks or advertised as supplements. You can call the agency, fill out a form online or complete a paper version of the Voluntary MedWatch form. There is a separate system for filing reports about animal exposures through the Center for Veterinary Medicine.
What's the difference between delta-8 and products with names like THCP, X and HHC?
Like delta-8, some newer compounds like THC-P can be found in the cannabis plant in small quantities. In recent years, as the popularity of delta-8 has increased, so has interest in these newer cannabinoids. The main difference between delta-8 and THC-P is its level of psychoactivity. However, HHC and some newer compounds do not occur naturally in the cannabis plant and are synthetically made.
John Diedrich is an investigative reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at [email protected].
About this story
This story is published as part of the series Highly Legal in partnership with The Examination, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates global health threats, and AL.com, PennLive and USA TODAY. Our team is continuing to report on new cannabis products and we want to hear from you. Share your experience or questions with us here.