Delta-8 THC offers a different way to get baked — but it’s largely unregulated, untested, and unstudied
First identified in the 1940s, delta-8, which is naturally present in very small amounts in cannabis, was mostly reserved for animal studies. “Delta-8 THC typically gets made by a synthetic process, which is a cyclization reaction from CBD,” says Linda Klumpers, a University of Vermont chemist who co-authored aBy adding acid and solvent to CBD, it changes the molecule, and you get delta-8.
On top of safety concerns, there’s also the problem of whether or not it’s actually legal. While some states have made laws specifically outlawing on a federal level the sale of delta-8, advocates claim that since it’s derived from a legal substance, it should be allowed; others say that since it’s an analogue of a federally controlled substance, it has the same legal standing as delta-9 THC.