Our bodies have an endocannabinoid system, and its functions include modulating our mood.
“Our brains and our bodies, on demand, make these molecules. They don’t look anything like THC or CBD, but they have their own receptors in the brain,” Vrana said.
Delta-8 and delta-9 THC can bind to those same receptors and make people feel high. “It hijacks a normal system,” Vrana said.
There’s plenty we don’t know about these relatively new products’ health effects. The general consensus for now: It depends on what’s in them.
The chemical delta-8 isn’t itself a problem, according to Vrana. “Delta-8 is no more dangerous than delta-9. And THC is much safer than my drug of choice, which is … a good, single-barrel bourbon,” he said.
However, the delta-8 on the market is made synthetically and is minimally regulated in Kentucky. Some testing has shown delta-8 products may contain heavy metals, chemical solvents and pesticides.
Using Delta-8 also involves some of the same risks that using marijuana does, Vrana said. Addiction, and specifically psychological dependence, is a possibility.
Heavy use also can trigger severe vomiting due to a rare condition called cannabis-induced hyperemesis syndrome, he said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t evaluated or authorized delta-8 products “for safe use in any context.”
Can people use delta-8 like medical marijuana?
Anecdotally, some folks definitely are.
In the Krugers’ survey, 51% of the respondents said they use delta-8 to treat a health condition — issues like anxiety, chronic pain, depression and insomnia — and 29% said they use it exclusively for that purpose.
Amid research into medical marijuana, Vrana said data show it can stimulate the appetite and limit seizures, and there are indications it can help with pain management.
He said there’s no question delta-8 has similar potential uses.
Is delta-8 legal in Kentucky?
Yes.
The delta-8 market blossomed from nothing after Congress passed the 2018 farm bill and federally legalized hemp as well as various derivatives of hemp.
While delta-8 has been described as quasi-legal, a Boone Circuit Court judge ruled last year that it is legal in Kentucky.
That ruling did say delta-8 products wouldn’t be considered legal if they contain a concentration of delta-9 that’s higher than the federal limit for hemp, which essentially is 0.3%.
Is there ‘legal weed’ in Kentucky?
Recreational marijuana is not legal in Kentucky.
At the beginning of the year, an executive order signed by Gov. Andy Beshear went into effect that allows residents with specific health conditions to use medical marijuana as a form of treatment, but it must be bought legally in another state and strict limitations are in place on, for example, how much a person can possess at one time.
Reach reporter Morgan Watkins at mwatkins@courierjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter: @morganwatkins26.
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