Delta-8

The notion of legalizing intoxicating cannabinoids simply because they are derived or synthesized from hemp is ludicrous. A comparable scenario would be deregulating wine on the grounds that it derives from grape juice. An intoxicant is an intoxicant. Both common sense and public safety dictate that these substances must be handled with care. The proliferation of untested and unregulated synthetic and semi-synthetic intoxicating cannabinoids is a public health disaster. Action must be taken immediately to protect public safety. Specifically (see article)

Keep in mind that THC is a potent compound – a dose is typically measured in milligrams (thousandths of a gram), not grams. In the regulated California cannabis market, a single serving of an infused edible is capped at 10mg of THC per serving (and 100mg per package). If, as loosely interpreted, the Farm Bill allows for 0.3 percent THC in the final product and there is no cap on THC per package for “hemp-derived” products, here’s how much “hempderived” THC you could see in a single infused gummy, cookie, brownie, or 12-ounce beverage: PRODUCT TYPE 2 GUMMIES 1 COOKIE 1 BROWNIE 1 BEVERAGE UNIT WEIGHT (GRAMS) 5.8g 16g 70g 340g 0.3% THC (MILLIGRAMS) 17.4mg 48mg 210mg 1020mg Those are astonishingly high doses and mean we could have unregulated, hemp-infused edibles and beverages with up to 100 times the THC allowed in the regulated California cannabis market.

That provision reflects the state government’s position that consumer safety should override all other concerns in establishing laws to guide the hemp sector, sponsoring lawmakers said earlier.

A Virginia boy’s death last year was attributed to over-ingestion of delta-8 THC from eating gummies, leading to felony murder and felony child neglect charges against his mother. The death was officially ruled an accident attributable to “delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol toxicity” by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Central District of Virginia, although some cannabis experts have cast doubt on that conclusion.

The Georgia Supreme Court has cleared the way for Gwinnett County to resume raids, arrests and prosecutions to stop the sale of cannabis-derived products Delta-8 and Delta-10.
Cannabis-derived products containing very low THC amounts are broadly considered legal in Georgia and are widely available at shops around the state.
So when Gwinnett County cracked down on the products last year, shop owner Jennifer Byrd said her business was threatened and she took the county’s district attorney to court.

Conclusion: The first report of D8-THC, in the FAERS database, as a suspect drug appears to be in 2011. Overall, there are 183 total cases listing D8-THC as a suspect drug in the FAERS database as of June 30, 2021. Of the 183 cases, most were respiratory in nature.
 
FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Public Dashboard

The message includes a video of Death by Gummy Bears, which according to the manufacturer's website does contain Delta 8-THC. The gummy has 100mg of THC per gummy.
The message notes that five students from a metro area school consumed anywhere from half a gummy bear to two full gummy bears. Two of the students who ate two full gummy bears were sent to the ER. Common symptoms from all five of the students include high heart rates, anxiety, nausea, and severe paranoia.

A Virginia mom is facing murder charges in connection with the death of her 4-year-old son, police say. 
Dorothy Annette Clements, 30, was indicted Monday by a Spotsylvania County Grand Jury for the death of her son. 
Clements’ son died on May 8, 2022, after suffering a medical emergency two days before, at a home in the 5400 block of Jamie Court, the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office said. 
Major Troy Skebo could only say that the gummies contained “delta-8 THC,” which, according to the FDA, is one of more than 100 cannabinoids produced naturally by the cannabis plant but is not found in significant amounts in the cannabis plant. 

Starting this Friday, July 1, all Oregon businesses—including gas stations and grocery stores—will be prohibited from selling any and all “artificially derived cannabinoids.” That means not just heavy hitters like delta-8 and THC-O, but non-psychoactive compounds like cannabinol (CBN) as well. 

Although a dozen states have moved to ban delta-8 and other hemp-derived cannabinoids that act similarly to THC, Oregon will be the first state to ban all artificially derived cannabinoids.

CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of delta-8 THC-containing products in the illicit drug market is increasing rapidly. Delta-8 THC products are now available in gas stations and in headshops. The clinical presentation of delta-8 THC exposure is similar to known effects of delta-9 THC exposure. These similarities limit the clinicians' abilities to determine the specific substance ingested. Symptomatic and supportive care remains an effective treatment for cannabinoid toxicity.

A new Minnesota law that took effect last week is intended to prohibit the sale of products containing high amounts of delta-8 THC but also has established a relatively high limit for total THC in hemp foods.

The measure, signed by Gov. Tim Walz in May, and which went into force Friday, July 1, allows adults 21 and over to possess and consume hemp-based edibles and beverages that contain up to five milligrams of total combined THC – such as delta-9, delta-8 and delta-10 – per serving, with individual packages limited to 50mg.

Like CBD, delta-8 (delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol) is just one of more than 100 chemical compounds found in the cannabis sativa plant. Most people are familiar with THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that gives you a euphoric high.
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the production and sale of CBD products (which don’t get you high) on the federal level in the U.S. as long as they contain less than .3% of THC. In theory, this would allow federal legalization of CBD products with delta-8 under those same guidelines, but doctors, like internal medicine specialist Paul Terpeluk, DO, are expressing concerns about delta-8 products because delta-8 is psychoactive and produces same or similar highs as THC.

BEWARE OF CAWFEE  (Coffee with thc).  Some of these products are over 1000mg THC.  Highly dangerous. 

Delta-8 products are marketed as though it was candy, cereal, or vitamins sold in child/family friendly packaging.  
Ellen Snelling, a board member of the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance, has been wanting commissioners to act.
"It’s completely unregulated, fruit flavors, gummy bears. Bright colors attracted to children all allowed in the state of Florida. If this was laying on your dining room table a child would eat the entire package," she told commissioners at a previous meeting.  

TAMPA, Fla. — Products from cake pops to candy containing a chemical compound called Delta 8 are being sold legally in Florida without a prescription and with the goal of getting people high.
The I-Team has uncovered these products have caused hospitalizations and at least one death, sparking calls in Hillsborough County for better regulation of these products.

“It’s candy with drugs in it sold in your convenience store,” said Ellen Snelling, who chairs the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance.
She recently took packages of candy that looked like popular brands, including Skittles, Nerds and gummy bears.

WHAT STATES HAVE BANNED DELTA-8? Delta-8 is currently outright banned or restricted in the following states:  AK AZ AR CO CT DE KY ID IA MS MT NY ND RI UT VT WA For sale at corner stores, grocery stores, vape shops, and online NO warning labels on packages NO federal or state laws setting a minimum age to purchase NO FDA Regulations so there is no way of knowing what you are purchasing I

Hundreds of reports to the National Poison Data System have been linked to insufficiently labeled products containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration are urging consumers to keep the products out of reach of children and pets.
In the first seven months of 2021, the National Poison Data System received 660 reports of adverse events in people exposed to delta-8 THC. About 41% of reports involved unintentional exposure, and 77% of the unintentional exposures were in children under 18 years. Some of the children who were exposed to products with delta-8 THC were admitted to intensive care units.

"What we're seeing here today is not the end result but the next step in the way to stone America," Sheriff Judd said. "I'm worried about the health of your loved one that drives on the same highway with a person that takes enough of this low Delta 8 to get stoned. So it's not going to be safe."