By Mitch Rice
It is amazing how quickly consumers’ preferences can shift when a new product comes out that’s completely different from what came before – and the shift in popularity from CBD to Delta-8 THC is a perfect example of that. According to keyword research tools, over 618,000 people in the United States search for Delta-8 each month. In contrast, CBD receives only 474,000 monthly searches. It wasn’t long ago, though, that the predictions for the future of the CBD industry were far more exuberant. Some thought that the total size of the CBD market could be as large as nearly $60 billion by the end of the decade – and then, Delta-8 came along and changed everything.
So, how did Delta-8 manage to upend the CBD industry and become everyone’s favorite cannabinoid? Reading this article, you’re going to learn the amazing story.
Delta-8 Happened Because There Was Too Much CBD
The incredible thing about the emergence of Delta-8 as the world’s most popular cannabinoid is that it never would have happened without the popularity of CBD. During CBD’s initial explosion in popularity, people predicted that the size of the industry would continue growing by billions of dollars per year almost indefinitely. Farmers across the country wanted to get in on the action and began growing hemp. Meanwhile, numerous hemp processors opened and began doing business. By the early 2020s, there were so many hemp growers and processors that it didn’t look as though there would ever be a shortage of CBD again – in fact, there was actually a fairly significant oversupply.
Hemp processors found themselves with so much excess CBD that they began to experiment with it in an attempt to come up with other usable compounds. Many cannabinoids are isomers of one another. That means their molecules are composed of the same atoms but have slightly different structures. Those experiments bore fruit. As it turns out, it’s possible to convert CBD to Delta-8 by holding it in an acidic environment for a certain amount of time. Delta-8 is a psychoactive cannabinoid that can be used recreationally, and it also has another very important benefit that we’ll discuss next. Suddenly, the hemp industry had something entirely new to offer – and that’s when the popularity of Delta-8 began to take off.
Delta-8 Is Legal in Many States Where Marijuana Isn’t
As we mentioned in the previous section of this article, Delta-8 is a psychoactive compound. It produces an effect similar to that of Delta-9 THC, the best known of all cannabinoids. Delta-9, however, isn’t available except to those who live in states with medical or recreational marijuana programs. That’s not true of Delta-8 because it comes from industrial hemp, which is federally legal according to the 2018 Farm Bill. According to the Farm Bill, cannabis is classified as industrial hemp if it has a Delta-9 THC content of less than 0.3 percent. Industrial hemp – and all products derived from it – are federally legal as long as they are similarly low in Delta-9 content. Therefore, Delta-8 is legal in all states except those that have laws specifically prohibiting it.
The answer to your question is “yes” – Delta-8 can get you high, and in most states, it’s completely legal as of 2022. That’s precisely why Delta-8 has become more popular than CBD. Although CBD has plenty of benefits of its own, most people feel absolutely nothing when they use it. Delta-8 might be milder than Delta-9, but you will definitely feel it. As long as Delta-8 is legal in your state, you can buy it freely and don’t even need to go to a dispensary. You can buy it online or in a local vape shop if you like. The ease of access has helped to propel Delta-8 to an incredible level of popularity.
Some People Prefer Delta-8 Over Delta-9
Delta-8 is milder than Delta-9, but many people actually like it that way. Delta-9 THC is well known to produce undesirable effects such as agitation and paranoia when it’s overconsumed. When people use Delta-8, on the other hand, they don’t tend to report those sorts of negative effects. Instead, they mainly report feeling relaxed and sedated. One of the most popular reasons why people use Delta-8, in fact, is because it’s a good sleep aid.
Another benefit that Delta-8 over Delta-9 is the fact that it’s only available as an isolated single-cannabinoid extract. For that reason, you can essentially expect the same effect every time you use Delta-8. Delta-9, on the other hand, is just one of the many active compounds in marijuana. When you use marijuana, the effects that you feel will vary depending on the balance of cannabinoids and terpenes in that individual plant. You might feel relaxed and sleepy, or you could feel excited and uplifted. It’s hard to tell until you’ve experienced that particular strain for yourself. Delta-8 is much more predictable, and many people like that.
Delta-8 Is Much More Affordable Than Marijuana
Does your state have a cannabis dispensary program? If it does, you might be aware of the fact that prices at dispensaries are often incredibly high. Dispensaries only want to sell the highest-quality cannabis, and there isn’t enough of it to go around. Growers can charge almost anything they want for the very best material, and dispensaries pass those costs on to you. On top of that, the prices that dispensaries pay for product testing, licensing, insurance and payment processing are often sky high.
Delta-8, in comparison, is quite affordable. There are plenty of farmers growing industrial hemp, so there’s more than enough plant material available. There are also plenty of hemp processors processing that material to extract its CBD content. Converting CBD to Delta-8 is fairly inexpensive and reliable, so there’s no shortage of Delta-8 available. Most importantly, every company in the hemp industry wants to get in on the action – so there’s ample competition. Put together, these factors ensure that Delta-8 is surprisingly affordable. That’s a very big deal for consumers who are sick of spending a fortune on cannabis.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment, medical or other purposes.
