Edibles have become a new and loved way of consuming cannabis. But not every cannabis edible is the same. Not only can you get full spectrum cannabis edibles, but you can get pure CBD edibles, and delta-8 THC edibles too, meaning all the great delta-8 benefits of smoking, can be accessed through eating. So, here’s a look at the best delta-8 THC edibles on the market today.
Delta-8 THC is quickly becoming a preferred type of cannabis with tons of options for how to consume it, from edibles to oils to vapes, and so on. Its popularity is related to its lesser psychoactive effect, lack of anxiety, and clear-headed high. If you’re interested in finding out what all the hype is about, check out our awesome delta-8 THC deals, and figure out which delivery method works best for you.
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What is delta-8 THC
If the whole point of creating delta-8 THC edibles is to give users an alternative to standard THC, the first question is, why is this beneficial? And the answer, is that using delta-8 THC over delta-9 THC, affords users certain specific benefits that make delta-8 preferable. We’ll get to those in a minute, but first, what exactly is delta-8?
Delta-8 THC is a naturally occurring derivative of delta-9 THC, which means, it occurs in nature on its own. This is different than something like delta-10 THC which is never seen in nature, and must be created in a lab. Delta-8 occurs when delta-9 comes into contact with oxygen, which makes it lose elections (oxidize) to form delta-8 THC. The chemical structure of the two is actually the same (C₂₁H₃₀O₂), and the only difference in structure is the placement of a double carbon bond. In delta-9 it sits on the 9th atom in the chain, for delta-8, on the 8th. Want to guess where that double bond is for the synthetic delta-10? If you guessed the 10th atom, you’re correct!
In terms of what it does differently, there are a few factors which make it noteworthy. First of all, it has nearly all of the same positive health aspects as delta-9. Among other things, it’s an antimicrobial, an anti-inflammatory, it’s good for neurological and spastic disorders, it helps with nausea and vomiting, as well as appetite stimulation, and it can help with anxiety and insomnia.
This last one mentioned is important. Not only can delta-8 THC help with anxiety, but it’s known for producing less of it in the first place, an aspect that makes it preferable to delta-9, which causes anxiety and paranoia in many users. These are not issues with delta-8 THC, which is known for producing a more clear-headed high, with more energy and less couch-locking. It also comes with less psychoactive effect, so for those looking to it for its medical value, it can be used without as much of a high, while still providing a smaller one for those who want to feel something.
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Is it legal?
Delta-8 THC has been known about since 1965 when it was first synthesized by Dr. Rafael Mechoulam in Israel. However, it made a major re-emergence in the wake of the 2018 US Farm Bill which legalized the cultivation of hemp and the production of hemp products. For a time it seemed that since delta-8 could be sourced from any delta-9, including delta-9 from low-THC hemp plants, that it could be a legal THC alternative by slipping into the industrial hemp loophole. However, that legal gray area has been considerably weakened by different factors.
One is the definition of synthetic. Though delta-8 occurs naturally in nature, it occurs at extremely low concentrations, meaning if a product is going to be made from it, it requires human production help. Whether or not this fits the definition of ‘synthetic’ has not been made clear by either the DEA Interim Final Rule that came out in 2020 to better clarify rules of hemp production, or the USDA Final Rule, which also didn’t touch the subject.
The other issue is also rather confounding. While delta-9 THC in hemp is considered legal under the definition of hemp, so long as the plant its sourced from doesn’t contain above .3% THC, further clarifications of the Farm Bill made clear that not only does the plant need to constitute no more than that amount of THC, but so must all stages of processing, including the final product. This, of course, would rule out any product that is meant to be primarily delta-8 THC. But, technically, this still doesn’t illegalize it, just makes the idea of it less useful.
It should be mentioned, that though some locations are putting in the effort to specifically illegalize it, the federal government has done nothing to stop its production, perhaps signally that it understands its inability to control it, legal or not. And so at least for now, the loophole seems to hold, even if its mainly based in imagination.
And now, why edibles?
We’ve gone over why using delta-8 THC might be preferable for some people over delta-9, but why use it in edible form? There are a couple answers to this question, the first – and maybe most important – being that eating a cannabis product will almost uniformly cause less damage than vaping or smoking. Though vaping is a clearly safer alternative to smoking, the lack of useful regulation in what can be used in vape cartridges and the processing for these compounds, leaves the door open for danger, as evidenced by issues with vitamin-E acetate. That notwithstanding, vaping is generally safe, however not messing with the lungs at all…is often a better idea.
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The other benefit is that edibles produce a longer, stronger high. When cannabis is inhaled, it goes directly to the lungs, and then the bloodstream, and then to the brain, where it attaches to CB1 receptors, which makes a person feel high. This all happens so fast that it feels like the high is pretty instantaneous. A general smoking (or vaping) high will last around 1-2 hours. When eaten, the THC goes through the stomach, and active compounds are sent to the liver for metabolization. Here the standard delta THC (C₂₁H₃₀O₂), is converted to something called 11-Hydroxy-THC (C21H30O3). This stronger version lasts way longer than standard THC, giving a high that lasts 4-6+ hours.
One of the main detractions of edibles is that they take a while to kick in. Going though the digestive tract to the liver takes time, and a user might have to wait 45 minutes to three hours to feel effects. This is irritating to begin with, but can become problematic if the user inadvertently takes more than required, thinking that they haven’t taken enough while waiting. Though this won’t kill anyone, it sure can make a user feel like they’re going to die, and that’s no fun at all. For this reason, edibles in dispensaries will always come in specific amounts, with instructions to start with low doses, and increase very slowly over a long period of time.
Best delta-8 THC edibles for your sweet tooth
The ability to use an alternate version of THC with slightly different properties, doesn’t stop at smoking it. Delta-8 THC can be found in tons of edible products, here are some of the best, and most interesting, delta-8 THC edibles to try.
The company 3chi certainly jumped on the delta-8 THC edibles bandwagon. The company has a line of awesome products including two types of gummies. First there’s delta-8 THC gummies, with 25 mg of delta-8 each, that come in packs of eight or 16, and are completely vegan and gluten-free. Their other option is the fantastically named Comfortably Numb Delta 8 THC:CBN Gummies, with a 1:1 ratio of delta-8 to CBN (25 mg each), coming in both eight and 16 packs as well.
Another option is Ounce Of Hope’s delta-8 gummies that come in packs of four or 20, each containing 20 mg of delta-8 THC. Yet another option is Cannabis Prime, and its massive array of delta-8 candies, including Gummy Bears, Blue Raspberry Rings, Strawberry Puffs, Fruit Slices, Cherry Drops, and more, all available with either 120 or 300 mg of delta-8.