You may have seen some delta-8 cannabis products, often in the form of gummies or vape cartridges, and wondered what they are. Well, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would like you to know that delta-8 products are largely unregulated and can have some adverse effects, including symptoms similar to those observed. after an overdose of cannabis.
Both the FDA and the CDC released alerts this week warning consumers about the unknowns and potential dangers of consuming delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products. Typically, when talking about THC in cannabis, people refer to tetrahydrocannabinol delta-9. Delta-8 is another compound that is found naturally in cannabis and is generally believed to cause a less potent high than delta-9 THC, but is not well understood.
Despite the proliferation of these products in recent years, there is very little research around the potential delta-8 effects on health. And the products have been implicated in emergency room visits and calls to poison control centers. Between December 2020 and January 2021 alone, the FDA received reports of 22 people who had consumed delta-8 products, including 14 people who had ended up in hospital or in the emergency room. Nationwide, poison control centers have received more than 600 calls related to delta-8 exposure since January this year. Of those calls, 39% involved children under the age of 18.
If someone ingests a large amount of delta-8, they may experience lethargy, difficulty speaking, changes in heart rate, uncoordinated movements, sedation, and even coma, the CDC says.
Under state-specific regulations, companies can legally sell delta-8 products in cannabis products or in the hemp market (similar to CBD products), the CDC explains. (These products may have a particular appeal in states where it is not legal to consume cannabis.)
But the labeling of these products isn’t always clear (it can be labeled simply as “hemp”), so people may not realize they’re taking delta-8 or that this compound can cause noticeable psychoactive effects. The FDA has not evaluated or approved any product that contains THC delta-8 and because people often equate hemp with non-psychoactive, he cares that products can be marketed in a way that puts people at risk. The agency is especially concerned about how delta-8 products, including delicious-looking gummies, can be appealing to children who don’t realize the products can cause a high.
The manufacturing process of delta-8 products may be different from the processes of other cannabis products and may include the use of certain chemicals that may be harmful. “The natural amount of THC delta-8 in hemp is very low and additional chemicals are needed to convert other cannabinoids in hemp, such as CBD, into THC delta-8,” the FDA explains. “The final THC delta-8 product may have potentially harmful by-products (contaminants) due to the chemicals used in the process.”
Consumers should be aware that delta-8 exists and, despite marketing suggesting that it provides only a slight elevation, it can have real psychoactive effects, according to the CDC. It could also be in products that contain THC and CBD that are not well labeled, so people can consume delta-8 (and therefore take a higher amount of psychoactive compounds than they expected) without realizing it. . Parents of young children should be especially cautious about the potential effects of delta-8 products and be careful to keep them out of the reach of children, as they could be confused with sweets.
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