Delta 8 THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is a naturally occurring cannabinoid in cannabis (hemp and marijuana) and is commonly abbreviated as Delta 8 THC, Δ8THC, Δ8, D8, D8 THC, and D8THC. It’s an isomer of both cannabidiol (“CBD”) and Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (“D9THC”), sharing a chemical formula of C21H30O2 and a molar mass of 314.464 g/mol. It exists naturally and can also be produced by converting CBD or Delta 9 THC via a chemical reaction typically using heat, catalysts, altered pH environments, and/or solvents. ​ Delta 8 THC is an extremely viscous oil and exists in an “activated” state similar to Delta 9 THC, meaning it does not need to be decarboxylated to feel its effects.

The length of Delta 8 THC’s effects are very unique to the individual. As an average, we see high purity vapes lasting 1-5 hours and tinctures and edibles lasting 5-12 hours. Larger doses generally create longer lasting effects, especially with tinctures and edibles. A difficulty of judging the length of effects is that Delta 8 THC has a fairly natural onset and come down, so that it is sometimes hard for an individual to truly grasp where their “baseline” is/was before and after taking D8 THC. This is especially true for individuals who do not feel “high” from DTHC but just get a boost in mood. This mood change is sometimes unnoticeable to the individual themselves because of the natural onset and the user will think D8 THC had no effect. We’ve seen this many times in sampling sessions where the individual says they feel nothing, but someone they are with will then inform them how much more pleasant they’ve become in the last few minutes. Another difficulty in judging the length of effects is that many reports are given based on the “peak” and thus disregards a substantial amount of time spent above baseline after the peak effects are felt. D8 THC effects do not peak and then disappear. There is a gradual phase-out of effects. In general, the effects of vaporized D8 THC will be shorter than D8 THC that is eaten.

No, as Delta 8 THC’s metabolites are either that same or too similar to Delta 9 THC’s and will trigger a positive test for Delta 9 THC. We tested this by using at home drug testing kits on 3Chi employees who only used D8 THC and sending one employee to the same lab our local police go to for their drug testing. All tests were positive for THC. While we’ve heard of others passing while using D8 THC, we have not personally verified these reports, and our firsthand data suggest that’s, at best, not common.

In short, not very. Like almost every other cannabinoid besides Delta 9 THC and CBD, no long term studies have been done on Delta 8 THC for things like effects, proper dosing, safety, etc. While it is known to be a naturally occurring cannabinoid it is often found in very small quantities in flower and extracts (<0.1%). D8 THC products, however, may deliver D8 THC in up to 100% concentrations. Delta 8 THC has been safely used in a handful of marijuana markets for a couple of years, but those products typically use D8 THC obtained via the isomerization of Delta 9 THC, not CBD. These are slightly different processes, and almost always contain a fair amount (5-50%) Delta 9 THC in addition to D8 THC. D8 THC derived from hemp must be done differently to remain “hemp” as the end product must contain <0.3% Delta 9 THC. As of this writing, 3Chi has been selling D8 THC for almost a year. With the exception of our third-party lab tests, almost all of our data is anecdotal. While this feedback has been valid enough to help us make our products more effective, more controlled studies need to be done to definitively prove things. We can say that the feedback on D8 THC is overwhelmingly positive. To put it in perspective, the positive feedback on D8 THC absolutely crushes the positive feedback we saw with CBD.