In what can only be seen as a weird turn of events, Colorado, one of the first states to adopt recreational cannabis legalization, has officially banned Delta-8 THC and Delta 10 THC. For a state that allows recreational use, it’s a strange move to illegalize a naturally occurring part of the plant. Let’s take a look at why this is happening.
Delta-8 THC is the newer version of THC to hit the markets, providing users with a clear-headed high, and causing less anxiety and paranoia. Plus, the psychoactive effect is less than delta-9, which is great for medical users who want less of a high. The phenomenon is growing, and you can be a part of it by checking out our awesome Delta-8 THCdeals, and ordering this new-age form of THC today.
What is delta-8 THC?
In order to understand the politics around why a state like Colorado banned delta-8 THC, it’s important to know what is being dealt with. Delta-8 THC is a naturally occurring isomer of delta-9 THC, the more well-known THC associated with cannabis plants. Delta-9 THC itself does not appear in cannabis flowers in high amounts, but, rather its precursor THCA. When THCA has heat applied, or sits long enough for the sun and time to slowly take effect, THCA looses a carboxyl group (COOH) in a process called decarboxylation, to go from this chemical structure: (C22H30O4) to this chemical structure, (C₂₁H₃₀O₂), the structure for all delta THCs.
The process is only half over at this point. When delta-9 THC comes into contact with oxygen, it loses electrons in a process called oxidation, which ever-so-slightly modifies the compound by changing where a double carbon bond takes place. In delta-9 THC it’s on the 9th carbon atom in the chain, for delta-8 it’s on the 8th, though the actual chemical structure remains the same. The new molecule created, delta-8 THC, is actually way more stable than delta-9, and therefore has a longer shelf-life.
Delta-9 oxidizes to form delta-8 at an extremely low rate, so though it’s naturally occurring, it’s not naturally occurring in high enough amounts to create products. For this reason, human processing help is required in order to produce enough delta-8 for products. This creates a bit of a quandary as to whether it should be considered ‘naturally-occurring’ or ‘synthetic’. A point which makes a big difference, as all synthetic THCs are automatically illegal schedule I drugs as per DEA Controlled Substance Code Number 7370, as synthetics don’t fit under the definition of hemp. We’ll get to why this is important soon.
Delta-8 and delta-9 THCs are known for many of the same medical benefits, like decreasing nausea and vomiting, while stimulating appetite, anti-inflammatory effects, antimicrobial abilities, and usefulness with neurodegenerative and spastic disorders. It’s also good for anxiety, which is actually where it stands out over delta-9. Delta-9 THC can help some people with anxiety, but it is also known to cause anxiety and paranoia in others.