The Dirt on Delta 8 THC

For the people living in the non-legal states, Delta-8 from hemp manufacturers may seem like a decent stopgap measure until their legislators can legalize cannabis. While the products are being marketed to consumers as natural, safe, and legal, plenty of evidence is starting to surface indicating that may not be the case.

While recent headlines about the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Delta-8 products legal, this doesn't change the need to oversee the chemical process required to produce these products.

In this podcast, we asked Dr. Christopher Hudalla, founder, and chief scientific officer for ProVerde Labs, to discuss what he and his team are finding in the numerous delta eight products they have tested. Based on his team's research, consumers are not safe.

Delta 8 as a Natural Cannabinoid

Although we know that delta-eight occurs naturally within cannabis and hemp, Hudalla has done the math. Based on the average Delta-8 THC found in natural plant samples, in order to produce one kilogram of natural Delta-8 extract, it would take approximately 55,000 kilograms of hemp and cost somewhere in the neighborhood of about $500 million.

Although there is research into the potential therapeutic benefits of Delta-8 and many consumers have reported positive benefits, due to its scarcity in the natural world, commercial producers are turning to chemistry to produce marketable products. Unfortunately, this opens the door for human error, as well as a variety of contaminants and chemical toxins.

Not surprisingly, in an unregulated industry, many people have concerns about the processes and procedures for creating Delta-8 and the chemical byproducts that are being produced along with it. And, according to Hudalla, rightfully so, as ProVerde Labs has not tested a single sample of Delta-8 that didn’t contain contaminants.

Unidentified Contaminants

Without standardized testing and regulations on Delta 8 production, Hudalla points out that many of the products available to consumers today contain much more than is being printed on the labels. Hudalla points out that several compounds they've found in Delta 8 products have never been identified in the natural world.

And although some will argue that we don't know if those compounds are toxic or dangerous for humans to inhale into their lungs, Hudalla believes it’s more ethical to err on the side of caution.

As the unregulated hemp industry continues to produce intoxicating products, an alarming number of incidents are being reported to the CDC as a result of consuming these synthetic THC products. Hudalla mentions a particular case involving a woman who had to be hospitalized and now has life-altering injuries from inhaling vitamin E acetate from a Delta-8 vape cartridge.

Responsible Production, Ethical Marketing

While there’s little doubt that Delta-8 THC has some potential for its therapeutic properties, it's essential to ensure that any chemical process for a consumable product maintains the proper oversight to ensure that the products are safe.

Many consumers use these products regularly and report absolutely no ill side effects from the consumption. However, as Hudalla points out in this podcast, how do we know that one of the question marks appearing in these products isn’t the birthplace of a disease? How do we know that it is not the birth molecule for some type of cancer that the consumer may develop in ten years?

The tobacco industry and pesticides have already proven that although a chemical may not kill someone immediately, continued exposure over a long period can produce unwanted effects on our health.

For example, ibuprofen is considered a relatively benign OTC medication; however, if someone takes ibuprofen excessively for several years, it can damage their organs. How do we know that continued exposure to an unknown compound that has never been identified in the natural world isn’t going to cause problems in a year, or two years, or ten?

While over-regulation can strain an industry, very few will argue that consumer protections must be in place for these types of products.

Watch the podcast to learn more about ProVerde’s research into Delta-8 products.