Meds Cannabinoids

[momofthegoons]

THE DETAILS ON DELTA-8-THC

The world is getting wise to the truth about weed. As we are becoming aware of the benefits of cannabis, smart people are getting curious about it. When you take a plant with so much healing potential and then study its possibilities, you can learn some incredible things. As the research continues, a new cannabinoid is getting noticed and thanks to the progression of extraction technology, Delta-8-THC is becoming available. Here are the details on Delta-8- tetrahydrocannabinol and what it may have to offer the world…

What is Delta-8-THC
Delta-8-THC is a chemical compound found within the cannabis plant but only in small amounts. According to The National Cancer Institute, “Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol is an analogue of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with antiemetic, anxiolytic, appetite-stimulating, analgesic, and neuroprotective properties. Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-8-THC) binds to the cannabinoid G-protein coupled receptor CB1, located in the central nervous system.”


Delta-8 vs Delta-9
In the world of known cannabinoids, Delta-9-THC is a household name but, have you ever heard of Delta-8-THC? The two cannabinoids are very similar in their atomic structure, differing only in a few atomic bonds. Plus, both occur naturally within the plant. However, Delta-8-THC is typically found in small amounts, unlike the abundant Delta-9-THC.

Another notable difference when comparing Delta-8 to Delta-9 is the overall effect. Where Delta-9-THC has a strong, psychoactive effect, Delta-8 feels different. The National Cancer Institute reported strong words to support this; “This agent exhibits a lower psychotropic potency than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC), the primary form of THC found in cannabis.”

The Benefits
So why bother going to all this trouble to access Delta-8-THC when you can just use CBD or regular Delta-9? The benefits and when it comes to this particular cannabinoid, it gets very specific. Have you ever wanted to smoke something to soothe your pain, relax your body, and improve your overall mental clarity? Meet Delta-8! On top of those effects, Delta-8 has the ability to reduce nausea and stimulate appetite. For medical patients, Delta-8 might just hold the key to symptom relief and better health.

Accessing Delta-8-THC
In the past, the question seemed impossible to answer… how does one manage to harvest enough Delta-8 to make a product available for the market? As the Government relaxes with cannabis extraction, research and development have been in full swing, resulting in new and exciting discoveries. As luck would have it, there is a way to convert Delta-9 into Delta-8. While every product is made differently, the process to acquire this cannabinoid is pretty straight forward. Essentially, Delta-9-THC is first extracted from the flower. The concentrate remaining is then processed and refined to change the atomic make-up, resulting in Delta-8.


Why we need this
While Delta-8 might appeal to the average consumer, medically, it’s a necessity. For a cancer patient struggling through chemotherapy, it might make the difference between life and death. What makes Delta-8 so special is the therapeutic properties without the ‘high’ to accompany it. For medical patients that need cannabis but don’t feel comfortable taking it, Delta-8 is a great option. That’s an easy sentence to write and an easy sentence to read; but, when you really think about the lives that can be impacted, it’s incredible.

Helping sick kids
To truly understand the potential benefits of Delta-8 and the impacts it can have, let’s look at an example where kids have been involved. In 1995, a study was conducted on pediatric cancer patients and the published name speaks for itself.


According to An efficient new cannabinoid antiemetic in pediatric oncology, “Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, a cannabinoid with lower psychotropic potency than the main Cannabis constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC), was administered (18 mg/m2 in edible oil, p.o.) to eight children, aged 3-13 years with various hematologic cancers, treated with different antineoplastic drugs for up to 8 months. The total number of treatments with Delta-8-THC so far is 480. The THC treatment started two hours before each antineoplastic treatment and was continued every. 6 hrs for 24 hours. Vomiting was completely prevented. The side effects observed were negligible.”

With little access to it, Delta-8-THC has not gotten much public attention. Still, as products are beginning to emerge, this is beginning to change. With such specific benefits, Delta-8-THC will market itself to the cannabis community, providing relief without the ‘stone’. But for those with a critical illness, Delta-8-THC might be the key to a new and improved, quality of life. One thing is certain, there is a lot of hope for the future. What we learn about this incredible plant is improving our application of it, untapping the potential to heal ourselves, inside and out.

 

[CarolKing]

Delta-8-THC Promises to Get You High Without the Paranoia or Anxiety

A variation of the familiar Delta-9-THC compound is growing in popularity among savvy cannabis consumers. But its legality is sticky.

www.discovermagazine.com

(Credit: HQuality/Shutterstock)

Delta-9-THC, the main drug in cannabis plants that gets people high, can also be a potent medicine. It can treat extreme nausea and stimulate appetite, which is especially helpful for people who have HIV or are going through chemotherapy. A synthetic version of THC, called Dronabinol, has been used to treat these conditions since the 1980s, although some people prefer their THC to come from the plant itself.

But while marijuana is a relatively mild drug with few side effects — at least, compared to alcohol or tobacco — too much Delta-9-THC has its downsides. It can sometimes spark paranoia and anxiety or trigger dizziness and headaches. And it’s worth noting that much of the cannabis sold legally in the U.S. contains a high THC concentration.

That’s why many cannabis consumers are turning to an obscure analogue of Delta-9-THC called Delta-8-THC. The difference between Delta-8 and Delta-9 is subtle: Both will get you stoned, but the former is about half as potent as the latter. Many people claim that Delta-8 is a smoother, less anxious psychoactive experience than the more familiar Delta-9. It also seems to have additional medicinal effects than regular THC, such as better pain relief, but these claims have yet to be weighed out in clinical trials.

Based on these anecdotal reports, Delta-8 is quickly becoming a trendy new cannabis product, appearing in products like vape cartridges, soft drinks, gummies and tinctures. The rise in popularity mirrors the CBD (cannabidiol) craze before it and, like with CBD, there still isn’t a lot of quality control for products or evidence to back up anecdotal accounts. Many of the same positive claims are made about Delta-8 products — though scientists have yet to study their effects in depth.

A Subtle Shift
The cannabis plant is essentially a factory for dozens of different compounds called cannabinoids. The two most popular are also the most abundant: Delta-9-THC and CBD. But the plant also makes many other so-called minor cannabinoids, including CBG, CBN, THCV and, of course, Delta-8-THC. Most cannabis plants produce very small levels of Delta-8, so to get a usable amount takes a lot of processing and refinement. However, Delta-8 is more shelf-stable than Delta-9, which could make it a better option for prescription drugs.

The main difference between Delta-8 and Delta-9 comes down to the location of a specific bond between two of the atoms that make up each THC molecule. “Delta-8 has the double bond on the 8th carbon in the chain, while Delta-9 has the double bond on the 9th carbon in the chain,” explains Christian Peterson, the co-founder and COO of Wunder, a cannabis beverage company based in San Francisco. Wunder sells a line of Delta-8-infused products that mix Delta-8, Delta-9 and CBD as a replacement for alcohol.

So that’s it? Could the shift in a single carbon bond really cause such a difference in experience? Based on the limited science available, the answer seems to be yes.

“I think it's been shown that there's a difference,” says Peter Grinspoon, a primary care physician at Harvard Medical School who specializes in medical marijuana. “People report [Delta-8] as being less anxiety-provoking, less sedating and a little more clear-headed than THC.”

Grinspoon is a board member of the advocacy group Doctors For Cannabis Regulation, which seeks to provide patients with evidence on the pros and cons of medical marijuana. He says Delta-8 has game-changing potential for patients, such as the elderly or children, that are looking for “less confusion and spaciness or stonedness or whatever you want to call it.” But he cautions that the alleged benefits of cannabis-based drugs shouldn’t supersede the evidence.

“Whenever there's another minor cannabinoid that people start puffing up, I always worry that the marketing claims and the desire to line people's pockets is going to outpace the actual science,” Grinspoon says.

“The research isn't there yet to know for sure,” Peterson agrees. However, he does note that Wunder did extensive tests to rule out the placebo effect in their products.
But before the market for Delta-8-THC products can get anywhere close to the current demand for CBD, entrepreneurs and doctors need to know: Is it even legal?
Rules and Regulations
Delta-8 has a complicated, hazy legality. There’s no question that Delta-9 is highly illegal: Under U.S. federal law, regular THC is a Schedule I substance, which means the government classifies it as dangerous as heroin and LSD. This law, which was passed in 1970, makes research on cannabinoids expensive and difficult — part of why we know so little about Delta-8.

But there was no explicit law banning Delta-8 until this August, when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) updated their list of controlled substances. A lot of the confusion stems from where Delta-8 is sourced. If it comes from Cannabis sativa, it’s definitely illegal. If it comes from hemp — a form of the same plant, bred with nonintoxicating levels of THC — then it’s legal thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill. Or, so a lot of cannabis companies assumed.

“The entire industry … was assuming it was legal due to it being derived from hemp,” says Ryan Cassell, co-founder and chief scientist of Crystal Creek Organics, a cannabis company based in Pensacola, Florida. “The laws clearly define all hemp-derived cannabinoids and products with a Delta-9-THC level below 0.3 percent as legal.” But shifting, ambiguous laws have some in the industry concerned about a DEA crackdown on hemp farms, according to Marijuana Moment. The convoluted mess of regulations since hemp was legalized has forced the USDA to reopen a public comment period to address some of these changes and the impact they have on the industry.

“We shall see how all of that plays out in the coming months,” Cassell says. “As for now, our company has had to take a step back [from production] and wait for further clarification surrounding the laws and legal status of Delta-8.”

In the meantime, it’s not clear what the future holds for Delta-8. Consumers definitely seem eager to try new, obscure cannabinoids, say both Cassell and Peterson, but whether they can legally purchase them outside of states where recreational cannabis is legal, or whether scientists can easily study them, is still being smoked out.





I wasn’t sure if this should be news like in the cannabis Chronicle

 

[Bcbud]

Heard Of The Cannabis EPM301?

The Fresh Toast - Raphael Mechoulam was a most significant academics. Have you heard of the cannabis EPM301?

thefreshtoast.com

 

[treesaver]

What is CBG? The Minor Cannabinoid with Major Potential, Explained.

Tyler Koslow ∙ August 23, 2019 4:10 pm PDT
​

Although cannabis is a complex plant with more than 400 chemical entities, the weed industry has — for the most part — remained fixated on two particular cannabinoids: THC and cannabidiol (CBD). But other cannabinoids are starting to emerge into the spotlight.

One of these so-called minor cannabinoids is cannabigerol (CBG), which is gaining attention for its proclaimed anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory properties. While CBG has yet to match the mainstream appeal of CBD, this cannabinoid may soon play a starring role in everyday consumer products as it quietly demonstrates a wide array of highly intriguing medicinal benefits.

“The pharmacological effects of CBG described in the scientific literature include: anti-fungal, anti-insect and anti-inflammatory activity; neuroprotective activity; stimulation of appetite, and enhancement of the death process of cancer cell,” Dr. Itzhak Kurek, CEO and co-founder of Cannformatics, a Northern California biotech company that uses bioinformatics (a combination of biology, computer science, and mathematics, among other scientific disciplines) to improve medical cannabis.

Following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized industrial hemp production and established a THC limit of 0.3%, the industry is starting to realize the potential value that CBG presents from a medicinal standpoint. However, over the last few decades, scientists have left a paper trail of research that shows just how fruitful this relatively unknown cannabinoid could be.

What Science Says About CBG​

CBGA is the chemical precursor to THCA and CBDA, playing a pivotal role in the biochemistry of the cannabis plant. During the flowering cycle, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) can be converted into tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), the precursor of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), the precursor of CBD, by enzymes. Once this phase is complete, the plant only contains trace amounts of CBGA, which can be decarboxylated into CBG.

CBG interacts with both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, potentially inhibiting the intoxicating effects of THC. CBG has also demonstrated an ability to increase anandamide, commonly referred to as the “bliss molecule,” an endogenous cannabinoid that helps regulate a wide range of bodily functions, including appetite, sleep, mood, and the immune system.

This minor cannabinoid also functions outside of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), and has shown itself to be an agonist to the serotonin 1A receptor. However, according to Tristan Watkins, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer at LucidMood, a Boulder, Colorado-based brand of proprietary terpene and botanical formulations, there's not enough evidence showcasing how CBG actually affects the human serotonin system.

“When you look and see what serotonin 1A does, it's like all laundry list of potential actions,” he explained. “So, we can't narrow it down and say it will cause this particular effects, because there haven't been enough behavioral studies on CBG to get to that stage.”

More research is needed to fully understand what CBG has to offer from a medicinal standpoint, but existing studies have already presented several reasons to be optimistic about the therapeutic potential of CBG.

• Antibacterial Properties: CBG has been identified as having remarkable antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. For instance, in a 2008 study published in the Journal of Natural Products, researchers found that CBG could be a potential treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph infection that is highly resistant to certain antibiotics.
• Glaucoma: In a 1990 study, published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, researchers were examining how THC and CBG could help lower intraocular pressure in the eyes of cats. The findings concluded that CBG and related cannabinoids may provide therapeutic benefits to patients suffering from glaucoma.
• Inflammation: In a 2007 study published in the Journal of Dermatological Science, researchers found that CBG, along with other cannabinoids, has the potential to treat inflammation caused by psoriasis, a chronic skin condition caused by an overactive immune system. In a 2013 animal study published in Biochemical Pharmacology, CBG also demonstrated the ability to reduce colon inflammation in rats, suggesting that CBG may be an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms.
• Neurodegenerative Conditions: In a 2015 study conducted on lab mice published in Neurotherapeutics, researchers discovered that CBG was “extremely active as neuroprotectant,” and also increased the levels of antioxidant defense. The findings suggest that CBG could be a viable treatment for certain neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington's disease.
• Anti-Tumor Growth: Several studies have also found that CBG could inhibit the growth of cancer cells and, as one 2016 study on lab rats published in a German journal discovered, could act as an appetite stimulant, which could translate into a beneficial treatment for chemotherapy patients. In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, researchers concluded that “non-psychoactive plant-derived” cannabinoids, including CBG, could act as direct inhibitors of tumor progression. Those findings are supported by a 2014 study in Carcinogenesis, which reached a similar conclusion that CBG could hinder tumor growth in colon cancer, as well a 2006 study in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.that found CBG may be an effective treatment for breast cancer.

How is CBG Being Used?​

Judging from what's available on the market, it appears that the antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of CBG are what the industry sees as most promising.

Thus far, most of Axim Biotechnologies, a New York-based cannabinoid pharmaceutical company, has successfully filed for numerous patents involving CBG and CBD, including a patent to develop cannabis-infused toothpaste and mouthwash, as well as a topical cream containing both CBD and CBG, which is intended to reduce symptoms associated with atopic dermatitis, or eczema. Additionally, the company was recently granted a patent for anti-microbial compositions including cannabinoids, and plan to create a CBG-based powder to treat symptoms of athlete's foot and fungus.

Aside from the medical approach taken by Axim, other cannabinoid-centric companies are starting to use CBG bolster the effects of adult-use products. LucidMood, for instance, has integrated this minor cannabinoid into its Party vape pen line. According to Watkins, the company added CBG as an ingredient because of its apparent ability to inhibit the uptake of anandamide, which could help reduce THC withdrawal and lethargy, making for a more social experience.


To test the CBG-infused Party pen, LucidMoon threw an actual party and had subjects come to socialize after completing a full workday. To keep track of the attendees' sociability and energy levels, LucidMood gave out coded push pins to place on a large mood board.

“What what was really intriguing is you saw that people's energy levels and sociability levels actually shot up right after use, and then really maintained for about three hours of consistent use,” Watkins said. “Generally, even with THC, you expect lethargy to start kicking in after about two hours.”

Watkins openly admits that this study shouldn't be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, but does serve as a “real-world experiment” that give an idea of how CBG may work in weed products.

“CBG is very interesting and I can't wait to see what else it does,” Watkins continued.

CBG Presently Too Costly​

As for whether CBG will ever reach the immense hype that CBD or THC has experienced, one of the deciding factors is whether the price point of CBG will drop. According to Huemoeller, CBG costs upwards of $20,000 per 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram, while the same amount CBD is priced around $3,600, making CBG five to six times more expensive.

“The reason why I don't think a lot of people are playing around with it is because the cost of CBG,” he explained.

Another deterrent that prevents growers from focusing on CBG is that plants have to be cut early in order to maximize the harvestable amount this cannabinoid. With CBD and THC in such high-demand, most hemp or marijuana growers aren't willing to harvest their plants early and forgo other cannabinoids in favor of CBG, Huemoeller said. That could very well change as interest in CBG increases.

“I think there are some breeders that are starting to figure out how to breed some of those seeds so that you can get a higher CBG percentage,” Huemoeller said. “I expect that's going to change at some point.”

In a 2005 study conducted by GW Pharmaceuticals, a British biopharmaceutical company responsible for developing Epidiolex, a CBD-based drug designed to treat childhood epilepsy, researchers analyzed a southern Italian hemp plant that showcased a heavily CBG-dominant profile.

As more studies are conducted on these minor cannabinoids, consumers should expect to find CBG in more of their cannabis products. However, for now at least, there's little reason to believe that one of these minor cannabinoids will usurp THC as the industry's cash crop.

“With these trace cannabinoids, their primary action is outside of the endocannabinoid system and it kind of makes sense why humans have been selecting THC,” Watkins said. “Because THC actually gives you a strong sense of euphoria, rather than selecting from these some of these other trace cannabinoids because they just don't seem to have that strong of a perceivable effect.”

Feature image: Cannabigerol (CBG) is one of more than 400 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Researchers are looking at CBG to treat bacterial infections, glaucoma, neurodegenerative conditions, and tumors. (Gina Coleman/Weedmaps)

What is CBG?

CBG (cannabigerol) is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in cannabis. Learn about its potential health benefits, side effects, and legality.

weedmaps.com

 

[treesaver]

CBG vs CBD: What Are the Differences?​

Alexander Beadle ∙ Feb 07, 2020​

Products containing cannabidiol (CBD) have exploded in popularity over the past few years, as the cannabinoid’s reputed anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects have made it into a trendy ingredient for skincare brands and “wellness” products.
As the major non-intoxicating component in cannabis, CBD is fairly abundant in common cannabis strains, making the cannabinoid’s isolation and use easily translatable to commercial product making operations.
But recently another non-intoxicating cannabinoid has been making headlines as a potential therapeutic product. Cannabigerol (CBG) is a less abundant cannabinoid, but it has been observed to reduce inflammation, combat pain, and even slow the proliferation of some cancer cells.
CBG may sound similar to CBD on the surface, but dig a little deeper and key differences can be found.

What is CBG?
In the first two installments of this series on the chemistry of cannabis, CBDA Vs CBD: What Are the Differences? and THCA Vs THC: What Are the Differences?, it was explained how all of the cannabinoids present in cannabis are derived from cannabigerolic acid (CBGA).

Conversion of cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), into cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabidiol (CBD) via cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)


As the cannabis plant matures, CBGA, which is the acidic form of CBG, is converted by plant enzymes into some ratio of the three major cannabinoid precursors: tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA).
From the amounts of CBGA that are not converted into these precursors, or any of the other minor cannabinoids, CBG is formed through decarboxylation.
Due to this process, cannabis strains ordinarily contain very little CBG, often below 1 percent by weight. In order to obtain higher yields of CBG within cannabis, specialist plant breeders have begun experimenting with genetic manipulation and crossbreeding. Leafly reports that scientists have also successfully pinpointed the optimum extraction window for cannabis in order to preserve the highest amounts of CBG, recommending extraction be done around six weeks into an eight-week flowering cycle.

CBG benefits
Unlike CBD, which has a relatively low affinity for cannabinoid receptors and acts mostly through indirect interactions with the endocannabinoid system, CBG is thought to elicit its therapeutic effects directly though interaction with the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the brain.
The psychoactive cannabinoid THC also produces its psychoactive effects though interactions with these receptors; CBG has been observed to work as a buffer to THC’s psychoactivity and can even alleviate the feelings of paranoia that sometimes come with consumption of high levels of THC.
Research is relatively sparse regarding the therapeutic benefits of CBG, when compared to the apparent wealth of information available on THC and CBD within the cannabis science community. But there are early studies linking the compound to a whole host of potential therapeutic uses, such as:

• Treating glaucoma, though its vasodilator and neuroprotective effects.
• Decreasing inflammation, as seen in animal models of inflammatory bowel disease.
• Combatting Huntingdon’s disease, again through its neuroprotective effects.
• Inhibiting tumor growth, in animal models of colorectal cancer.
• Killing drug-resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

The difficulty producing CBG
With no intoxicating effects and a vast number of potential therapeutic uses, why hasn’t CBG experienced the same swell in popularity as CBD?
The largest stumbling block to CBG’s realization as a common therapeutic treatment is the cost of its production. CBG is thought to be one of the most expensive cannabinoids to produce, so much so that it has been dubbed “the Rolls-Royce of cannabinoids.”
“It takes thousands of pounds of biomass to create small amounts of CBG isolate,” James Rowland, CEO of the Colorado CBG brand Steve’s Goods, told Forbes.
“That’s because most hemp only contains minute percentages of CBG, whereas there are now hemp strains that contain 20 percent CBD in the crop. If the CBG content of the same crop is only 1 percent, that means you need to extract 20 times the amount of biomass to get the same amount of CBG out.”
CBG also presents a problem to cultivators. The longer that a cannabis plant matures, the more chance there is that the CBGA and CBG present in the strain will be converted into other cannabinoids. This leaves cultivators with a choice: either grow cannabis with the express purpose of producing CBG, meaning that you can harvest the crop early before this conversion completes; or allow the crop to fully mature, so that some of the crop can be sold for other purposes but the rest will have a lower CBG content for extraction.
As well as requiring larger amounts of plant material compared to THC or CBD extraction, CBG extraction also requires the use of specialized production equipment. Due to the low levels of CBG present in cannabis strains, the chromatography apparatus that is used to isolate and purify CBG extracts need to be as precise as possible, in order to not necessitate using even more raw cannabis or hemp material than is absolutely needed. The cost of this high-performance chromatography apparatus can be a high, up-front production cost for processors who may not already operate this equipment in their standard processing procedures.
“The cannabinoid specific markets are going to wildly fluctuate for another few years until the demand evens out,” added Rowland. “I do think it will remain considerably more expensive than CBD for a long time, but if CBD prices drop, you’ll see CBG prices drop too.”

CBG vs CBD: What Are the Differences?

CBG may sound similar to CBD on the surface, but dig a little deeper and key differences can be found.

www.analyticalcannabis.com

 

[Bcbud]

Trichomes Are the Key to Most Potent Cannabis Flowers

Science proves frosty buds pack the most cannabinoids and terpenes.

cannabisnow.com

 

[momofthegoons]

Cannabinoids for Food Preservation​

New research could open a world of opportunities for cannabinoids in food production.

Keeping food products fresh and healthy is always a top priority in consumer packaged goods, especially the natural and highly perishable kinds. Many products already have several additives and preservatives, some of which we’ve learned are undesirable. In fact, many individuals can’t ingest the many chemicals used in food preservation, hence the need for more natural alternatives.

Researchers at the University of South Florida seem to have found a solution to this dilemma. A study published in Postharvest Biology and Technology described a team of researchers' efforts in testing the preservation potentials of CBD oil on strawberries. The result showed that CBD oil extends the fruit's shelf-life, inhibiting yeast, mold growth, and microbial load. But how can CBD oil perform all these functions?

CBD'S PATENTED PROPERTIES​

The active compound in this oil is Cannabidiol: a phytocannabinoid of the cannabis plant with increasing popularity in the consumer goods sector. In its oil form, CBD is now being used in several products, from tinctures to a wide range of cosmetics. The compound is even popular among pet owners looking to help their pets live healthier lives.

However, just as we have two primary forms of cannabis, there are also two types of cannabis oil: hemp seed oil and CBD oil. The difference lies in the source of the oil. While CBD oil is extracted from the flowers, leaves, and stalks of the hemp plant, the hemp seed oil is pressed from the seed.

This distinction is further sub-divided into the hemp-derived CBD oil and the marijuana-derived CBD oil. Here, the latter contains more THC (the active psychoactive compound in cannabis) than the former and is thus less circulated, especially in states where THC is still banned or under strict regulations.

Generally speaking, CBD is often touted as a functional remedy for several ailments, particularly its oil, which allows for more application versatility. Its potential ability to combat illnesses stems from its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, which have been patented by the US Government. These properties have made it desirable in the food industry, especially where it is put in edibles and other ingestible cannabinoid-infused products.

APPARENT POTENTIALS​

The study involved applying CBD oil to strawberries post-harvesting and storing at 1°c and 10°c for eight days yielded fruitful results. They observed that the strawberries with CBD oil had a more pleasant visual appearance and a lighter microbial load than the non-CBD ones.

Per the study, researchers suggest CBD’s antioxidant property allows it to reverse the oxidizing effects of spoilage bacteria, les
sening the microbial load on the fruit.

Since this spoilage process is similar to most natural products, this may proffer some headway in the quest for practical preservation of agricultural produce. However, there remain several factors inhibiting the full progression of this discovery.

EXISTING BARRIERS​

As we have covered earlier, CBD oil is obtainable in two forms. Though the compound is freely distributed, its source is often a determining factor in its distribution regulation.

In December 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (also known as the Farm Bill) permitted using CBD from hemp as long as it contains less than 0.3% of THC content. However, this policy comes with numerous accompanying sets of rules, plus state rules and regulations. Thankfully, the FDA is planning on taking steps to offer more clarity on CBD use and its inclusion in food products.

While this is still underway, how can CBD oils be purchased without legal risks? The following are some factors to look out for before restocking:

• Certificate of Analysis (COA): It displays independent lab testing results. This feature also provides extra details like possible contaminants and percentage content.
• Origin of the hemp used: To ensure the source plant is grown in the resident country and meets its standards.
• Testing methodologies: This should be according to the “ISO 17025” standards and be fully on-display via the COA.
• Potency: The amount of CBD and THC contained should be listed by dose and in total on the COA, as well.

Now rounding off, it appears cannabis is at it again: proffering a solution to another one of humanity’s many problems. Really, how can a gem like this remain yet mostly unexplored? This discovery gives us hope for the future. Maybe a bill permitting total exploitation of the plant will be passed soon, allowing us to fully harness its unique potentials.

​

 

[Bcbud]

CBDH, a new cannabinoid for pain, has been found in cannabis

Same team of researchers from Italy bridged a gap between regular CBD and CBDP. They found a unique form of THC as well as CBDH, a new cannabinoid for pain.

cannabislifenetwork.com

 

[momofthegoons]

Anyone heard of THC-O?

Since this is article is on a sales site and the pics wont load properly, I'm just adding the link to the article; rather than posting the entire thing.

THC-O Everything You Need To Know

If you’re like most of the fine folks in the cannabis community, you’ve probably never heard of THC-O. But don’t feel bad. You’re not somehow an inferior pothead, and you won’t have your cannabis card (an analog of the man card) revoked. THC-O doesn’t get a lot of press and it doesn’t lend...

fukedup.com

 

[bulllee]

Anyone heard of THC-O?

Since this is article is on a sales site and the pics wont load properly, I'm just adding the link to the article; rather than posting the entire thing.

https://fukedup.com/blogs/news/thc-...s/thc-o-everything-you-need-to-know [/QUOTE]

THC-O-acetate safety concerns: Q&A with scientist James Stephens​

Published August 3, 2021 | By Laura Drotleff

New products are hitting shelves as delta-8 THC bans in a number of states cause manufacturers and retailers to pivot away from the popular compound and try to make up sales.
The issue is THC-O-acetate – a derivative of delta-8 THC – doesn’t come with any known product or safety data, according to James Stephens, founder of Iron Light renewables and energy tech company in Missoula, Montana.
Stephens, a chemical engineer and microbiologist with a deep background in extraction of CBD, THC and minor cannabinoids, put out a call for safety data to his professional network – many of whom said they were moving “large quantities” of THC-O-acetate.

Nobody has yet responded, he said.
MJBizDaily caught up with Stephens to find out more about THC-O-acetate – how it’s made, what it does and why it’s concerning for the marijuana and hemp industries at large.
How does THC-O-acetate compare to other THC cannabinoids?
Depending on what you read out there, there’s discussion that the THC acetate is three times or more potent than THC. When people use it, they get the psychoactive effects for a significantly longer duration.
And what’s even really more interesting is (unlike THC-O-acetate derived from delta-9 THC) … this is CBD converted to delta-8 THC, now converted to THC acetate.
Are THC-O-acetate products made from delta-8 THC already on store shelves?
People are selling it right now. I think a lot of people have flipped from D-8 to the THC-acetate and are trying to claim it as legal because it’s not THC or it’s not an isomer, technically, because they’re adding molecules to it.
It’s the same kind of game you see with a lot of the designer-drug laws. Remember all the synthetic cannabinoids that were on the market?
It’s just this race against, “OK, they’ve specifically banned the substance, so let’s make a new or a derivative substance that doesn’t have a specific ban against it.”
Is THC-O-acetate fairly easy to make from delta-8 THC?
This is all simple chemistry. So, for anyone versed in the art – chemists who’ve done any kind of organic chemistry – none of this stuff is hard.
Now getting it super clean – so it doesn’t have a bunch of side products in it – that gets much more difficult.
How does the process compare to the chemical process used to convert other drugs, such as making heroin from morphine?
The chemistry is identical.
So, if you take opium poppies, it’s got a juice out of it, and reacted it, it’s no different than taking a distillate from hemp and reacting it with the acetic anhydride. You put the acidic groups on it.
Heroin is to morphine as THC acetate is to THC. It seems to make them more potent.
Are there any actual positives to THC-O-acetate? Could it potentially be a viable product if it were manufactured safely?
It’s definitely a euphoric product. …. My gut feeling is since no one has any safety data on it, I don’t think anybody knows what this product really does.
If it is more potent than THC, can we actually end up with real overdoses now?
That’d be my biggest concern, both from an industry perspective, working in cannabinoids and just general safety of, “This stuff is going to be sold over the counter.”
What would be the impact to the cannabis industry if that happened?
I think if you ended up with an overdose from a THC molecule and someone dies, that’s going to give all the prohibitionists all the reason they need to be like, “No THC is safe because people are going to do this stuff,” and cause a blanket ban.
And that could be everything from the medical marijuana industry all the way through to full-spectrum hemp extract that has any amount of THC in it.
It’s like when there was an overdose on K2 or Spice, a lot of states used that as a reason to go through and ban all synthetic cannabinoids.
To your knowledge, are these products being tested?
I personally have not seen anyone pop up as a good steward of the (delta-8 THC or THC-O-acetate) space.
With minor cannabinoids, (companies) are doing a ton of really good work. You’re seeing them start pursuing safety data on these minors, so they’re being good stewards.
But when I look at this, I don’t see anyone coming forward and saying, “Oh, yeah, we did safety data on this.” I haven’t seen that at all.
The industry seems divided over lab-created products. What needs to happen to ensure such products are safe?
The industry needs to work together to generate the safety data.
This may be a legitimate product. At the end of the day, there could easily be a place for it, whether that’s adult use or for legitimate medical uses.
There could be something there, but releasing these products without safety data is just foolish.
I was hoping (manufacturers) would send me some data … because I’m a scientist by training and I’m legitimately interested in if this compound is safe.
And what other cannabinoids could we derivatize and maybe make them better at treating epilepsy or cancer therapies or relaxation or inflammatory? Can we make CBD better?
But you need safety data because it would suck … (to) take something that’s really safe and then make it terrible. That’s the last thing that you want to do.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Laura Drotleff can be reached at laura.drotleff@hempindustrydaily.com.

 

[bulllee]

Meet THC-O, a hemp-derived compound three times stronger than THC​

Max Savage LevensonAugust 19, 2021
THC-O, also known as THC-O acetate, is a hemp-derived compound that's three times stronger than normal delta-9 THC. (Ann Clancy illustration/Leafly)
Jump to a section
In recent months, a synthetic compound derived from hemp called THC-O acetate—often referred to simply as THC-O (pronounced “THC oh”)—has quickly gained popularity among Americans who don’t have access to legal cannabis.

THC-O products are increasingly popular in states where consumers don’t have access to legal cannabis.

THC-O’s appeal lies in its potency and its legal status. Research has found that it’s roughly three times stronger than conventional THC. It has been called “the psychedelic cannabinoid” for its borderline hallucinatory effects. Because it’s derived from federally legal hemp, THC-O products are becoming increasingly popular in the states where consumers don’t have access to legal, state-licensed delta-9 THC products.

And now that delta-8 THC, its trendy cousin, has been outlawed in some states across the country and flagged by the DEA, THC-O’s star may rise even faster.

While THC-O products like vape carts and tinctures are available for purchase online, both their legal status and their safety remain unproven.

Read on to learn more about the history of THC-O acetate, its potential benefits, and the risks you should be aware of before trying it yourself.

find and buy legal cannabis near you

What is THC-O?​

Although many of us only recently heard about THC-O, the US military began studying its effects as long ago as 1949; they observed it eroded dogs’ muscle coordination twice as much as conventional delta-9 THC.

Typically, acetic anhydride is added to delta-8 THC to produce delta-O acetate.

THC-O didn’t appear on the DEA’s radar until nearly 30 years later. In 1978, DEA agents discovered a clandestine lab in Jacksonville, Florida, had combined a cannabis extract with acetic anhydride. But over the following 10 years, THC-O did not enter the illicit market. Since it didn’t seem to be a growing problem, the federal drug agency declined further investigation into the unusual compound.

Today the production of THC-O acetate is raising concern among some in the state-licensed cannabis industry. To generate the molecule, a highly-flammable compound called acetic anhydride is added to THC molecules. The process involves a series of extractions that begin with hemp, the low-THC cannabis plant that was made federally legal by Congress in the 2018 farm bill. First, CBD is extracted from raw hemp. Then delta-8 THC is extracted from the CBD. Finally, acetic anhydride is added to the delta-8 THC molecules to make THC-O acetate.


Experts say this process should only be done under controlled laboratory conditions, due to the health risks involved.

Don’t make THC-O at home​

“The process of making THC-O acetate is inherently dangerous,” the renowned cannabis researcher Dr. Ethan Russo recently told Hemp Grower. “This is something that’s got to be done in a technical lab with a vacuum hood [and] no exposure to humans.”

If you want to use delta-O, always buy, never DIY.

Some THC-O retailers have echoed Russo’s warnings on their own websites. “Please don’t try to make THC-O on your own,” cautions the Honest Marijuana Co., an online seller of THC-O products. “The process requires special equipment and advanced training to get right. And volatile, flammable, and explosive chemicals are necessary. It’s not worth your life (or your home or your eyebrows) to do something that a lab can do better and safer. If you want to use THC-O, always buy, never DIY.”


If produced successfully, THC-O acetate resembles a thick brown liquid, similar to motor oil. As such, it can be consumed in vape cartridges, tinctures, and edibles.

Is THC-O safe to consume?​

A lack of research and a profound lack of regulation based on actual data means that mysteries about THC-O acetate are prevalent.

Beyond its potency, researchers have concluded that THC-O acetate is a “prodrug,” meaning that the compound is not activated until it has been metabolized. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to kick in.

James Stephens is a cannabis researcher and chemist. He’s investigated the effects of THC-O as part of his work for Iron Light, a cannabis product and brand consultancy based in Missoula, Montana. Stephens cautions that there are wide variations in product quality right now, early in the compound’s commercial emergence.

“If you’re using low-quality extract material and low-quality reagents you bought online from Alibaba or whatever, you’re likely to get way less pure of a product than if you’re using clean [and pharmaceutical-grade] reagents and do a lot of downstream purification steps,” Stephens told Leafly.

What’s in these products?​

Stephens regularly reaches out to THC-O acetate producers online. When they send him testing results, he is alarmed by the lack of specificity. “It’s 10-15% unknowns in there. I ask, ‘What’s the rest of the stuff?’, and they say, ‘We don’t know’…That’s what usually shuts down the conversation.”

With any vape cartridge sold outside a state-licensed cannabis system, there’s always a concern about potentially toxic additives mixed into the cannabis oil. These thinning agents have caused serious health problems in the past, and there’s nothing to prevent unregulated companies from adding them without informing consumers.


Furthermore, Stephens noted that smoking the molecule in a vape cartridge invites another host of questions, since combustion can activate other chemical processes. “We just don’t know [what happens], but you can’t run around saying any of this stuff is safe,” he told Leafly.

It’s potent, so go slow​

Stephens is likewise worried that adverse reactions to THC-O acetate could have larger repercussions for the legalization movement writ large. “My biggest fear,” he said, “is it just takes that first overdose to cause the equivalent of a satanic panic or whatever you want to call it.”

Overconsumption of traditional cannabis has never directly caused a death in humans. With a compound three times as potent as delta-9 THC, however, there’s a risk of consumers imbibing too much THC-O and suffering through some unpleasant effects. Of course, high-potency cannabis concentrates like dabbing oil, wax, and shatter have been legally sold for many years—so the risk of a bad trip with THC-O is all relative.

Is THC-O actually legal?​

Well, it depends who you ask.

Producers of THC-O acetate products say they’re protected under the farm bill passed by Congress in 2018, because the molecule was derived from a chain of custody that began with federally legal hemp plants. But even they seem unsure. As Binoid, a top seller of the compound, as well as other derivatives like delta 10-THC and HHC, admits on the company’s own website, “That’s actually hard to say.”

As for their competitor Bearly Legal Hemp Company, their name says it all.

Some experts, however, believe the compound is not legal. They cite the 1986 Federal Analogue Act, which states that any substance analogous to a Schedule I drug—in this case, conventional THC—would itself qualify as a Schedule I drug.

But that argument could be similarly used to argue against the legality of delta-8 THC, or perhaps even CBD. It all depends on where the line between “analogous” and “non-analogous” is drawn.

State laws and regulations scrambling to catch up​

As with products containing delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC, products with THC-O exist in the marginal legal space between hemp (which is legal nationwide) and cannabis (which is not). State regulators and legislators are currently playing whack-a-mole with the growing number of hemp-derived compounds, banning novel compounds only to see new derivatives take their place.

In legal adult-use states, cannabis regulators are by and large ignoring these hemp-derived compounds because they don’t fall under their strict regulatory purview. Local police and health authorities have more pressing matters, like violent crime and the coronavirus pandemic.

In the meantime, some state-licensed companies in legal states are becoming more concerned about unlicensed hemp-derived THC products undercutting their market and tarnishing the reputation of the cannabis sector with potentially unhealthy products.

Until THC-O and other hemp derivatives come under a state-regulated system, consumers will need to weigh the risks and benefits of these compounds for themselves.

 

[bulllee]

What is delta-10?​

Pat GogginsAugust 26, 2021
Delta-9 THC is the cannabinoid we all know and love—it’s the main compound in weed strains that gets people high and has been doing so for thousands of years. You may have heard of delta-8, which has gained in popularity in the past year or so, a cannabinoid similar to delta-9, but less potent.


Now, to confuse things even more, a cannabinoid called delta-10 is becoming more popular. Truly, it’s hard to keep up with weed trends.

So let’s see what the big deal is with delta-10, if it can get you high, how it compares to other cannabinoids, and how to get it.

Jump to a section

What is delta-10?​

Delta-10 is a cannabinoid found in trace amounts in the cannabis plant. Like regular THC—delta-9—it can get you high, but it is less potent than delta-9. This makes it similar to delta-8, another cannabinoid that is less potent than regular THC.

According to Roger Brown, president and CEO of ACS Laboratory, a lab that tests hemp-derived products from 48 states, “Delta-8 was very popular and had really taken off, and now delta-10 has taken off as well, and we’re seeing it in a significant amount of products that are being tested.”

Delta-10 is commonly processed from hemp-derived CBD, as is delta-8. Because hemp is legal all over the US (more on that below), delta-10 is considered legal in all 50 states. However, as with delta-8, certain states have outlawed delta-10 on their own.

The cannabinoid is usually available in vape carts, gummies, or other edibles, and can be mailed to certain states.

What’s the difference between delta-8 and delta-10?​

To create both versions of THC, CBD oil is first extracted from legally grown hemp. The resulting oil is processed into either delta-10 THC or delta-8 THC. Different chemicals and reactions are used to create the different deltas.

Delta-10 THC is not easy to manufacture. It must be refined extensively, so you usually don’t see it in abundance. “If you see a product out there that says 99% delta-10, I don’t believe it,” said Brown. Because it is so hard to produce, a lot of products combine delta-10 with delta-8.

Is delta-10 safe to consume?​

Delta-10 is safe to consume, however, Brown stressed that as chemicals are used in the extraction process, it is critical to only consume delta products that have been lab-tested at an accredited lab to ensure they have been purged of all chemicals and contaminants and are safe for consumption.


Legitimate delta-10 products, like those tested at ACS Laboratory and other licensed labs, will have a QR code showing consumers the proof of testing certification.

What are the effects of delta-10?​

Delta-10 can get you high, although it is much less potent than regular delta-9 THC. Anecdotally, delta-10 is commonly reported to provide energizing effects, whereas delta-8 is reported to be more sedating. Delta-10 is often compared to strains like Sour Diesel, Pineapple Express, or Super Lemon Haze, whereas delta-8 is compared to strains like OG Kush, Wedding Cake, and Purple Punch.

“To put it in perspective,” said Brown, “delta-8 is more like an indica and delta-10 is more like a sativa. They have two very different vibes to them. People who want to use a sleep aid, as an example, have used delta-8, [whereas] delta-10 gives you more creativity or perspective.”


It’s important to note that these effects are not based on any scientific study; more research is needed on these compounds. On top of that, every person has a unique body chemistry and compounds will affect people differently.

Is delta-10 legal?​

Currently, delta-10 products are federally legal because they are derived from hemp, which was legalized in the US when Congress passed the 2018 farm bill. This is what makes delta-10 so appealing—consumers who live in states where cannabis is illegal can purchase delta-10 because it is technically derived from hemp and not cannabis. (Hemp is legally defined as a cannabis plant containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC.) Although delta-10 is less potent than regular delta-9 THC, people can still get high from it, legally.

However, as is the case with delta-8, some states have taken it upon themselves to outlaw delta-10. Additionally, some delta-10 producers won’t ship to certain states if that state’s laws are unclear.

This leaves the legal landscape for cannabinoids messy. THC (delta-9) is recreationally legal in some states and medically legal in others. Delta-10 and delta-8 are illegal in certain states, but some of those states do have legal recreational or medical weed.

Be sure to check a specific producer’s website to see where they ship to, but by and large, if you live in these states, you cannot get delta-10:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Idaho
• Iowa
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Rhode Island
• Utah

Whether delta-10 or delta-8 will get outlawed in more states is yet to be seen, but if that does happen, producers may move on to yet another new cannabinoid to skirt the law—maybe THC-O, maybe something else.

“If delta-8 is outlawed in states, they’re going to look for the next delta,” said Brown. “They’re just going to try and find a way around it.”

For more info on cannabinoids, check out these articles:

 

[bulllee]

The cannabinoid CBN might be cannabis industry’s surprise hit​

Published 21 hours ago | By Andrew Long




While delta-8 THC is certainly stealing the spotlight, CBN might just be the sleeper cannabinoid of the summer – pun intended.
Over the past year, cannabis companies have been leveraging the compound’s reputation as a sleep aid with growing success.

Also known as cannabinol, CBN was first discovered nearly a century ago.
Over that period, companies have done little with CBN, given the time-consuming process of producing the cannabinoid.
But that is now changing, thanks to the development of new production methods.
And demand is climbing.
Sales of products containing CBN – almost entirely edibles, at this point – totaled more than $65 million in the past four quarters for adult-use retailers in California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon, according to data provided by Seattle-based data-analytics firm Headset and FloraWorks, an Oregon supplier of hemp-derived cannabinoids such as CBN.
It should be no surprise California had the largest revenue of the four markets.
CBN products provided $16.1 million in sales for the second quarter of this year in the state, up 6.6% from the previous quarter and 120% from the third quarter of 2020.

And more brands are entering those markets weekly.
There were only seven CBN products in those combined states a year ago, but that number grew to 55 in the second quarter of 2021, up 20% from the first three months of the year.
Also, CBN edibles are taking a larger share of that market.
Edibles containing the cannabinoid accounted for 11% of California edible sales in June, up 6.5 percentage points from 2020.
That trend has carried through in other states.
Sales of CBN edibles in Oregon, Nevada and Colorado were almost nonexistent in June and July 2020, but they ended June 2021 at 9.7%, 6.5% and 3.8%, respectively, as a percentage of each state’s edibles market.
California-based edibles company Kiva Brands, an early CBN adopter, is riding the wave of early growth.
Introduced in January 2020, Kiva Brands’ Camino Midnight Blueberry gummies, which contain 1 part CBN to 5 parts THC, have been the top-selling edible in California for the past two quarters.
Some believe CBN’s sedative effects can be amplified when paired with THC.
Many of the regulated CBN products contain this hybrid or ratio model, providing a small portion of CBN paired with some amount of THC – such as Camino’s 5-to-1 proportion.
Kristi Palmer, Kiva’s co-founder and head of business development, said the company came upon this formulation after lots of research and testing, which showed the beneficial effect involving this particular ratio.
“We’re doing as much research as we can on the back end to make sure it’s the right path to go down,” she said.
“You use a lot of data to make those decisions, but there’s nothing quite like seeing the sales and seeing the traction take place.”
And with the success of the gummies, Kiva has added CBN to its other THC lines, including cookies, mints and chocolate bars.
Palmer also attributes the company’s success to purposeful marketing and educational outreach to retailers.

A Kiva Brands retail display highlighting its CBN products. (Photo courtesy of Kiva Brands)
The company created an in-store display of its various CBN products to not only help consumers associate the products with sleep but also to help retailers sell them.
Sampling was big, too.
For the launch of its Terra Milk and Cookies THC/CBN product, Palmer said Kiva put the product in a tiny tea mug and wrapped that up with a little sleeping eye mask.
“Budtenders and buyers need to see it and understand it,” she said.
A long history
With all the sudden growth, it’s hard to believe that CBN has been around for more than 90 years.
CBN was discovered in the 1930s and then, in the 1940s, became the first cannabinoid to be isolated.
And while it provides a mild psychotropic effect, up until recently not much has been done with it.
Unlike CBD, CBN is hard to make.
Little to no CBN is created or contained in new or fresh cannabis plants.
The cannabinoid is produced when marijuana or hemp plants are exposed over long periods of time to air and sunlight.
As the cannabis dries and ages, an oxidation process turns the THC molecules found in marijuana and hemp into CBN.

Yet, until now, the time involved to produce consistent CBN naturally hasn’t been practical.
It took a growing sleep-aid market and tales of the sedative nature of smoking old marijuana to get the industry to rethink CBN.
Although there are varying numbers, the U.S. sleep-aid market was expected to be about $31 billion in 2020, according to Maryland-headquartered Marketdata.
The sleep aid that’s most comparable to CBN, melatonin, is expected to reach $2.4 billion in sales by 2025.
Those numbers alone have been much of the incentive for cannabis companies to position themselves to get a slice of the sleep market.
Speeding up the process
A growing number of companies are taking on the difficult problem of making and scaling CBN as an ingredient.
Cannabinoid manufacturers such as FloraWorks have developed extraction processes that not only speed up the natural oxidation process of CBN creation but also purify the cannabinoid to provide a consistent isolate for product manufacturers.
Because CBD is derived from THC, both marijuana and hemp can be used to make it.
Obviously, using marijuana in the process is more effective due to the higher amounts of THC in the plant.
But cost and a complicated regulatory market make hemp-derived CBN a suitable base material even if there is much less THC in the plant.
For this reason, FloraWorks uses crude CBD oil as a starting material.
Alleh Lindquist, the company’s chief strategy officer, said FloraWorks is focused on scaling its operation.
The company is producing 100 kilograms (220 pounds) a month of CBN isolate and is working to expand that to 1,000 kilograms as demand grows.
The company is hoping that CBN ultimately will become a dietary ingredient, as melatonin has, and recently started the process to seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for such a designation.
“Those issues to us had to be solved for this to become a large-scale product that you could eventually buy in a CVS alongside melatonin,” Lindquist said.
Meanwhile, the supply-demand situation is changing. As more companies begin manufacturing, CBN prices are dropping.
Lindquist said the company’s first kilograms – produced in June 2020 – sold for $10,000 each. The price has since fallen to $5,000.
The open market
One company that is taking a different tact is California-based Sandland, which purchases CBN from FloraWorks.
A subsidiary of the private equity group Gotham Green Partners, Sandland calls itself a sleep company.
“We are not a CBD or cannabis company per se or a wellness company in that regard,” said Ryan Savage, the company’s chief revenue officer.
“We are very specific to the vertical that we are in. Our brand is all about sleep and giving your body restorative, meaningful sleep.”

(Images courtesy of Sandland)
Sandland launched its first products in the first week of April:

• A sublingual tablet marketed as a fast-acting natural sleep aid.
• An extended-release pill formulated to provide a long-lasting sleep.

And while CBN is driving Sandland sales, consumers won’t see it splashed across their packaging or included in the product marketing.
Savage said that decision was intentional, as the rules for online marketing and advertising on platforms such as Google and Facebook can be a tough avenue to navigate when talking about hemp, CBD or CBN.
“We kind of played the game to see where we could go and what we could say, and we’ve narrowed it down to where we are, which I wouldn’t say is hiding CBN. But it’s a little bit of a shell game in the way of advertising that you have to be very cautious,” he said.
Savage also believes that people just want a product that works.
“Do you care that CBN is an ingredient? There is zero THC, it’s completely safe for consumption, so there is no real reason for us to jump out and say CBN.”
And hiding the CBN is also helping the company in other markets.
Savage said the brand has been well received by major national retailers that have similar concerns about regulations and labeling. The largest challenge, he said, has been educating those retailers on the difference between CBD and CBN.
And in a big win, the company recently was approved to sell on Amazon.
Savage said Sandland didn’t create the product with Amazon in mind. But because CBN has never been listed as a Schedule 1 drug, it is not prohibited by the e-commerce giant.
Sandland is selling online in the U.S. and is carried by some regional independent health food stores such as Mother’s Market, which has 11 stores in Southern California.
The company is also producing a marijuana-derived CBN product that is available in 50 stores in the California recreational market.
Savage sees this as giving those consumers a choice.
“There’s a large number of consumers that go in and buy THC/CBN gummies to help them sleep and they would prefer not to have THC, but there’s really nothing in the market that allows them to do that.”
Andrew Long can be reached at andrew.long@mjbizdaily.com.

 

[bulllee]

Why Are So Many Legal Marijuana States Banning Delta-8 THC?​

By
Ben Walker
-
Sep 8, 2021
478


When the history of marijuana legalization in the US is written, it’s unlikely former president Donald Trump will be credited as the first commander-in-chief to sign off on a bill that federally authorized Americans to get high from weed. But history is a series of unintended consequences, and the 2018 Farm Bill is one such example.
It legalized hemp containing less than 0.3 percent THC or, to give the psychoactive compound its full title, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Little did lawmakers know, however, that delta-9 THC isn’t the only psychoactive compound to be found in the hemp plant.
Delta-8 THC is delta-9’s lesser known molecular sibling. It’s also present in hemp and cannabis but in much smaller quantities than delta-9 THC. As the names would suggest, the two are very similar. Both have a double bond structure that binds to the body’s endocannabinoid system, and this is what gets you high. The difference between the two is in the location of this double bond along their chains of carbon atoms. For delta-8, it’s on the eighth carbon atom while for delta-9, to no great surprise, it’s found on the ninth.
But this subtle difference has serious implications, both in terms of delta-8’s legal status and its intoxicating effects. Delta-8 gives its users a buzz just like normal THC, but it’s a mellower high with less of the negative effects often associated with weed, like anxiety and paranoia. And, with a strictly textual reading of the 2018 Farm Bill, it’s as legal as CBD.

That’s because the only cannabis compound explicitly prohibited under the legislation is delta-9 THC. This legislative loophole has led to an explosion of interest in delta-8 THC. Sales topped $10 million in 2020 and it’s now regarded as the fastest-growing sector of the hemp market.
This hasn’t escaped the attention of lawmakers and officials across the country. The Drug Enforcement Agency issued an interim rule last year which claims that “synthetically-derived tetrahydrocannabinols remain schedule I controlled substances.”
How ‘synthetically-derived’ is defined, however, remains unclear. Delta-8 THC is a naturally occurring compound but, given its relatively small abundance in hemp, the extraction process required to isolate the compound to sufficient quantities is complicated and potentially dangerous. That’s because it involves the use of toxic chemicals which must be purged from the final product before it can be safely consumed. And not all delta-8 suppliers can be trusted to do this to the standard required.
It’s for this reason, in particular, that state lawmakers across the country are moving to ban delta-8 THC, even in states that legalized recreational cannabis. So far, eighteen states have done so, with several more reviewing its legal status. The argument goes that with unscrupulous sellers abound and a lack of scientific understanding of the compound’s effects, it’s best to prohibit delta-8 THC in the interest of public health and safety. But where have we heard this argument before?
Knee-jerk delta-8 prohibitionist states might do well to look at the example of Michigan, which has instead opted to regulate the compound in the same way it does for delta-9. That, after all, is the most effective way of ensuring that people are consuming safe delta-8 products. For state lawmakers, who style themselves as cannabis reform advocates, to support a new wave of THC prohibition shows they haven’t really learned the lessons of the failed drug war.

 

[momofthegoons]

CBGA More Effective For Seizures Than CBD, Study of Mice Finds​

Researchers are calling CBGA the ‘mother of all cannabinoids.’

Researchers in Australia say they’ve discovered the “mother of all cannabinoids,” and it isn’t THC or CBD. For the first time, a study reports that three acidic cannabinoids found in cannabis, notably cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), reduced seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, an intractable form of child epilepsy.

The three acidic cannabinoids—CBGA, cannabidivarinic acid (CBDVA) and cannabigerovarinic acid (CBGVA)—”may contribute to the effects of cannabis-based products in childhood epilepsy,” and were noted with “anticonvulsant potential.” CBGA, however, demonstrated the most potential for certain anticonvulsant effects.

“From the early nineteenth century cannabis extracts were used in Western medicine to treat seizures but cannabis prohibition got in the way of advancing the science,” said Associate Professor Jonathon Arnold from the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics and the Sydney Pharmacy School. “Now we are able to explore how the compounds in this plant can be adapted for modern therapeutic treatments.” The study was recently published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

CBGA is the precursor “granddaddy” molecule of CBDA and THCA, which eventually convert to THC and CBD, among other compounds. CBGA is part of a protective system for cannabis, produced by trichomes that triggers targeted plant cell necrosis—natural self-pruning to allow the plant to focus energy on the flower.

“We found that CBGA was more potent than CBD in reducing seizures triggered by a febrile event in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome,” Lead author of the study, Dr Lyndsey Anderson, said. “Although higher doses of CBGA also had proconvulsant effects on other seizure types highlighting a limitation of this cannabis constituent. We also found CBGA to affect many epilepsy-relevant drug targets.”

Fight Against Dravet Syndrome with CBGA​

The mission for the team at the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics is simple: develop a better cannabis-based treatment for Dravet syndrome—an intractable form of child epilepsy.


In 2015, Barry and Joy Lambert made a hefty donation to the University of Sydney to push forward scientific research on medicinal cannabis. Barry and Joy’s granddaughter Katelyn suffers from Dravet syndrome.

“After using hemp oil for treatment, we got our daughter back. Instead of fearing constant seizures we had some hope that our daughter could have a life worth living. It was like the noise cleared from her mind and she was able to wake up. Today Katelyn really enjoys her life,” said Michael Lambert, Katelyn’s father.

In order to learn more, the research needs to be continual. “Our research program is systematically testing whether the various constituents of cannabis reduce seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome,” said Associate Professor Jonathan Arnold. “We started by testing the compounds individually and found several cannabis constituents with anticonvulsant effects. In this latest paper we describe the anticonvulsant effects of three rarer cannabinoids, all of which are cannabinoid acids.”

The Entourage Effect​

In the meantime, anecdotal evidence from cannabis consumers abroad suggests that there is more to cannabis’ healing powers than THC and CBD, although the science is limited.

Families like the Lamberts have noticed significant drops in seizures when children facing intractable epilepsy take cannabis extracts, although the source makes huge differences.

Supporting the concept of the Entourage Effect, there are unknown benefits from lesser known cannabinoids. Many people believe that the presence of terpenes and other compounds in cannabis make it more effective.

Harvard Professor, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, said that you need more than THC and CBD if you want cannabis’ full effects. It should be called the Ensemble Effect, not the Entourage Effect, he said. Dr. Grinspoon believed THC should be taken with CBD and other phytochemicals in order to be more effective. Any chemical in isolation does not perform the same way as it is found in nature, he believed.

Dr. Raphael Mechoulam is best known for his extensive work in cannabis acids, as well as Dr. Ethan Russo. In 1996, Japanese researchers found that CBGA is a precursor to CBDAand other compounds.

 

[bulllee]

What is HHC?​

Max Savage LevensonOctober 12, 2021
HHC offers a hemp-derived cannabinoid experience that's not actually THC. (Illustration: Ann Clancy / Leafly)

The hemp-derived cannabinoid has a lot of potential, but invites many questions, too​

Among the wave of hemp-derived cannabinoids sweeping the country—delta 8 THC, delta-O THC, and delta-10 THC among them—few have eluded public understanding more than HHC. Googling the compound brings up a host of contradictory information: about its legality, its effects on the body, and even whether it occurs naturally in the cannabis plant.

Hemp-derived HHC isn’t THC, but it offers a THC-lite experience.

Making sense of HHC is complicated in part because it has only recently reached the market and only a handful of retailers are selling it, mostly in the form of vape carts. The cannabinoid offers lots of potential, however; don’t be surprised if you start hearing more about it soon.

As state and federal agencies continue to ban delta-8 THC, the most popular hemp-derived cannabinoid, HHC offers a tiny bit more legal promise—and appeal—since it’s not actually a THC compound at all. It may also elude drug tests, although the evidence for that is purely anecdotal at this point.

“HHC is one of our fastest growing products,” Liam Burns, founder and CEO of Bearly Legal Hemp, one of the main retailers of the cannabinoid, told Leafly. “That’s due to regulations that have banned Delta-8, but people are buying it in states where they can buy Delta-8, too.”

Read on to learn more about HHC: how it’s made, its effects, its murky legality and what other questions remain.

What is HHC, anyway?​

HHC was first created in 1944 by the American chemist Roger Adams, when he added hydrogen molecules to Delta-9 THC. This process, known as hydrogenation, converts THC to hexahydrocannabinol (HHC).


Hydrogenation isn’t limited to cannabinoid production. A similar process is used to convert vegetable oil to margarine.

While Adams created HHC from conventional cannabis-derived THC, these days the cannabinoid is typically derived through a process that begins with hemp, the low-THC cannabis plant that was made federally legal by Congress in the 2018 farm bill.

How is HHC made?​

It’s a many-step process. First, CBD is extracted from raw hemp, distilled and isolated in a powder form. From there, things get a little more complicated.

Hemp-derived CBD acts as the base for the chemical reaction that creates HHC.

We spoke with Kyle Ray, chief operating officer of Colorado Chromatography, about the process his company uses. In addition to HHC, Colorado Chromatography also produces CBG, CBN, and other specialized compounds in its facility outside of Denver. (Bearly Legal is one of their clients.)

Ray described HHC manufacturing as a proprietary process that takes place inside a chemical reactor. “Think about the reactor as a black box,” Ray told Leafly. “In goes CBD, out comes HHC.”

Ray describes the HHC as a “gold dark oil that we refine from that stage” before distilling it.

Is it safe to make HHC?​

Richard Sams, scientific director at KCA Laboratories in Nicholasville, Kentucky, has tested HHC products in the past few months (including, incidentally, Bearly Legal’s). He told Leafly HHC can be produced safely in a well-equipped laboratory. But if you scale up production, he said, the risks rise, too. “The potential risk here is with explosions,” he explained.


Kyle Ray, of Colorado Chromatography, noted the company only makes its HHC in an “explosion-proof” space. “Everything’s grounded,” he said. “There’s no potential for static discharge.”

What are the effects of HHC on the body and mind?​

There is a lack of consensus around HHC’s potency. The complication arises, in part, from the fact that when the cannabinoid is manufactured, the end result is a mixture of two different kinds of HHC molecules: 9R HHC actively binds to the body’s natural endocannabinoid receptors, while 9S HHC, because of its slightly different molecular structure, doesn’t do so nearly as well.

“The one that fits [into the receptors] produces similar effects” as delta-8 THC, but takes a much higher amount to do so, said Richard Sams of KCA Laboratories. “With a sufficient dose, THC-like effects can be observed.”

In other words, HHC can have THC-like effects on the body and mind, but HHC is less potent, milligram-per-milligram, than delta-8 THC. Delta-8 THC is itself generally regarded as about half as potent as the standard delta-9 THC.

How potent is HHC?​

Kyle Ray, of Colorado Chromatography, told Leafly that while the ratios of the active and inactive HHC molecules can vary from batch to batch, they need to be at least 50% active to pass muster.

I tried it: HHC offered a pleasant and mildly cerebral high, with some pain relief.

“Trying to get those two isolated and separated from each other would be so cost-ineffective that it wouldn’t really make a viable product,” he explained. “So our goal, when we’re making our HHC, is always to maximize the amount of the active [compound] and minimize the amount of the less active [compound]. However, it’s never a perfect gambit. It’s usually somewhere around 2:1 or 1:1.”

When it comes to the effects of HHC, Liam Burns, of Bearly Legal, is a true believer.

“Personally, with HHC, I feel energetic,” he said. “I go to the gym. I’m sharp, my brain’s working properly. I typically have back and shoulder pain, but I have no pain when I’m on it.”


Aside from a faintly plastic-y taste, my own experience with the company’s HHC vape carts was similarly pleasant. Although the Blue Dream cart didn’t give me the same energy boost, it offered a pleasant and mildly cerebral high, and it did in fact soothe my aching muscles, too.

Does HHC show up on a drug test?​

Burns, of Bearly Legal, believes that some of HHC’s appeal stems from evidence suggesting that it can evade drug tests. But—and this is important—he acknowledges the evidence is only anecdotal. This is just what he’s hearing from his customers.

James Stephens, vice-president of innovation at Creo, a biotech firm specializing in cannabinoids, has seen similar arguments made about HHC. “I’ve also seen it advertised that [HHC] doesn’t convert into 11-hydroxy-THC, which is a common drug test metabolite,” he told Leafly. “It could possibly be used to evade drug testing regimes if this proves to be true,” he added.

Word to the wise: There is no hard evidence that HHC does not show up on a drug test for marijuana. Don’t bet your job or career on anecdotal evidence.

Is HHC safe to consume?​

Like any of the new hemp-derived cannabinoids, there is no standard dose and little to no research on the immediate or long-term effects of HHC ingestion.

Because hemp-derived cannabinoids (including HHC) are not subject to cannabis regulations in legal adult-use states, HHC product makers and retailers are not required to test their products for potency and purity.

Bearly Legal, however, does include third-party testing results with their HHC products, from KCA Laboratories. Those tests show the vape carts to contain about 99% HHC. (The ratio of 9R and 9S HHC molecules in the test added up, strangely, to a tad more than 100%. Colorado Chromatography attributed that to slight deviations within the margin of error).

Binoid, another major retailer of HHC, did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

Is HHC legal?​

And now we arrive at perhaps the thorniest question of all: Is HHC legal?

Bearly Legal says yes. The company’s website argues that since HHC is hemp-derived, and not actually THC, they should be in the clear. “HHC vapes, gummies, or edibles are perfectly legal on the federal level and will most likely remain legal on the state level as well,” the website reads.

Company officials additionally argue that since HHC is found in the seeds and pollen of hemp plants, it is “non-synthetic” and thus a “perfectly federally legal hemp extraction.”

Other retailers, unsurprisingly, agree. In a strange piece of branded content that recently ran in LA Weekly, Binoid claimed that the cannabinoid is legal…with the caveat that it “may possibly” be shipped to all 50 states.

Other experts are more skeptical. James Stephens, the cannabinoids scientist at Creo, believes HHC is subject to the Federal Analogue Act, which states that any substance analogous to a Schedule I drug—in this case, conventional THC—would itself qualify as a Schedule I drug. Since THC remains illegal, HHC would be illegal too. Stephens also believes it bears significant similarities to the synthetic drugs K2 and Spice, which mimic THC and are also classified as Schedule 1 drugs.

“I don’t think HHC is legal,” he told Leafly.

For the moment, HHC products exist (and thrive) in the murky legal zone between hemp (which is legal nationwide) and cannabis (which is not). Until HHC comes under a state-regulated system, consumers will need to weigh the risks and benefits of these compounds for themselves.

 

[bulllee]

What is THCP?​

THCP is the new powerhouse cannabinoid on the block.
Ali Mans Cornwell·
Cannabinoids
·September 27, 2021

THCP, which is short for tetrahydrocannabiphorol and scientifically known as (-)-Trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol, is a natural cannabinoid and analog of THC present in varieties of cannabis. It’s thought to be 33 times more active at cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors than THC, causing an intense and intoxicating euphoric high.
THCP’s legality is stuck between conflicting federal legislation. It’s not explicitly listed as a controlled substance and might be protected by the 2018 Farm Bill. However, many believe it’s an illegal substance and belongs under the Federal Analogue Act (FAA).
The discovery of THCP is causing quite a storm. The mere thought of a cannabinoid stronger than THC is enough to get the cannabis world in quite the frenzy.
What more do we know about THCP? How was it discovered? Does it have any benefits to you?

How and when was THCP discovered?​

THCP was first shown to the world on 30th December 2019 via an open-access Scientific Reports journal titled, “A novel phytocannabinoid isolated from Cannabis sativa L. with an in vivo cannabimimetic activity higher than Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol…”.
The title, alone, is enough to make even the most casual cannabis users’ ears prick up in curiosity.
What is this new cannabinoid? How was it discovered? What does this mean for the entire cannabis landscape as a whole?

THCP was discovered by accident​

The study was conducted by a team of Italian researchers. They used advanced mass-spectrometry and liquid chromatography technology on a natural (not synthetic) cannabis sample (FM2) provided by the Military Chemical Institute in Florence, Italy.
The mass-spectrometry and liquid chromatography analysis allowed the researchers to analyze the plant matter precisely. During this process, THCP was found by chance. A total accident.

THCP is thirty times more effective than THC at binding with CB1 receptors​

Once the shellshock of discovering a new cannabinoid subsided, the team recognized THCP as almost identical to THC…with a twist.
You see, naturally-occurring cannabinoid molecules have alkyl side chains. Alkyl side chains are strings of carbon atoms. If you look at a chemical structure diagram of THC or CBD, the alkyl side chains look like the tails attached to an animal.

• 
  THC chemical structure
• 
  CBD chemical structure

These alkyl side chains indicate how the cannabinoid will interact with your endocannabinoid system (ECS) — specifically your cannabinoid receptors.
There must be at least three carbon atoms in an alkyl side chain present for the cannabinoid to have some efficacy on your cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1). THC has five, which is partly the reason for the “high” or “stoned” feeling you get from THC consumption.
Now, here’s the real kicker.
THCP has seven carbon atoms in its alkyl side chain. A previous synthetic seven carbon chain derivative of THC (JWH 091) proved to be two times more effective at binding with CB1 receptors than THC.
However, when the Italian team tested its naturally-sourced THCP on human receptors, it was thirty times more effective at binding with CB1 receptors, thus begging the question:
“What are the therapeutic benefits of THCP consumption?”

Researchers also discovered CBDP…​

Alongside THCP, researchers also uncovered cannabidiphorol (CBDP), a cannabinoid also with a seven hydrocarbon chain. CBDP is also known more formally as CBD-C7 or CBD-heptyl.
Compared to THCP, less is known about CBDP. Researchers don’t think it’s a priority right now simply because CBD itself has little efficacy with CB1 and CB2 receptors. It’s, therefore, unlikely the extra two links in the chain will increase the likelihood of cannabinoid receptor binding.
As it stands, no research into CBDP and its effects is underway.

What can THCP do for you and your body?​

This is a good question and one that we don’t fully know yet. More studies need to be conducted before we can say with some certainty what THCP can do for you and your body.
When studying the effects of THCP on human cannabinoid receptors, the Italian team uncovered physiological effects including:

• Hypomobility
• Pain-relief (analgesia)
• Decreased temperature in the rectum

These effects are essentially identical to THC’s but with added horsepower. Pain-relief could likely be more pronounced. It could also be a more potent sleep aid for those suffering from insomnia. Without any other substantial evidence to support its therapeutic use, we can only guess what it might be helpful for in the future.
Recreationally, some users will have fun with the added potency. The resulting “high” from a THCP-rich cannabis strain or product could produce some pretty powerful effects. Paired with other cannabinoids and terpenes, the effects might be more sedating, energizing, or soothing.

Have you been consuming THCP inadvertently?​

It’s probable that you’ve inadvertently consumed THCP at some point in your life. Many now believe a very strong and unexpected “high” could be caused by a combo of THC and THCP, as opposed to THC on its own. This makes sense. Cannabis compounds don’t suddenly begin to exist when they’re discovered. They’ve been there the whole time.

Side-effects of THCP​

The side-effects of THCP are somewhat unknown. Again, this is a new cannabinoid and exclusive THCP side-effects (short and long-term) have yet to be recorded properly.
However, since THCP is similar to THC, we can assume side-effects are similar between the two. Common THC side-effects include:

• Paranoia
• Anxiousness
• Self-consciousness
• Sleepiness
• Fatigue
• Alertness
• Dry mouth
• Red eyes
• Memory loss (temporary)
• Sickness
• Vomiting

Because THCP is said to bind more effectively to your CB1 receptor, we assume the side-effects may be more pronounced. Care and consideration should be taken if (or when) you decide to consume THCP products.

Is THCP legal?​

Like delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC, THCP exists in a legal grey area.
Despite not being listed as a controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), THCP is still an analog of THC. All analogs of THC are prohibited under the Federal Analogue Act (FAA) by default unless removed by law.
However, since THCP exists naturally in hemp carrying up to 0.3% THC, many argue it’s protected under the Agriculture Improvement Act (2018 Farm Bill), a critical piece of legislation federally legalizing hemp and all hemp derivatives (not including THC).

Are there any THCP products on the market?​

Yes. Thanks to the growing interest in THCP, there are THCP products on the market. Right now, only a select few CBD brands stock and sell THCP labeled products but there’s concern over their safety. With a lack of real scientific studies and research on what this cannabinoid can do to you in the short and long term, it’s difficult to recommend THCP products to you in good faith.

Brands currently selling THCP products include:​

1. Spyglass Wellness​

Spyglass Wellness is a CBD company located in Texas specializing in rare minor cannabinoids. The company recently began selling a THCP oil using medium-chain triglyceride as a carrier. The THCP oil is third-party tested and marketed as 30 times more potent than regular THC.

2. Binoid​

Binoid is a popular CBD company based in California. The company stocks and sells a wide range of THCP vape cartridges. Each cartridge contains a mix of hemp-derived THCP, delta-8, and terpenes. The cartridges are said to induce a “potent and powerful mental and physical buzz”.

3. Bee’s Knee’s CBD’s​

Bee’s Knee’s CBD’s is a Colorado-based CBD company that owns its own organic hemp farm. The company sells USDA Organic THCP gummies carrying 10 mg of CBD and 1 mg of THCP per gummy. The gummies are suitable for vegans and contain non-GMO ingredients with no artificial flavors or colors.

Considerably higher prices​

THCP products currently available are priced higher than other CBD products. We imagine this will be off-putting for many users. For a pack of gummies carrying a small 1mg of THCP each, you’ll be paying $30 + shipping (that comes out to about $2 per serving). In comparison, CBD gummies (without THCP) cost about $1-$1.50 per serving.
The question on everyone’s lips, however, is: “Are they good value for the money you pay?”.
We’re not sure. Our first thoughts are THCP products are filling a profitable gap in the market. Naturally, any new and exciting product not commonly sold will be stamped with a mark-up price until numerous competitors start producing their own THCP products.

What are people saying about THCP products?​

In terms of THCP effects? On a personal level, we haven’t had the chance to try them. Again, anecdotal stories across the internet claim positive results with a few people saying it gives them a really satisfying high similar to delta-8-THC. Others, however, aren’t so convinced, simply because the THCP content is so low.

Conclusion: THCP is one of the most interesting cannabinoids right now​

THCP is one of the most interesting discoveries in the cannabis industry right now. The prospect of a natural cannabinoid being 30 times more active than THC at CB1 receptors is incredibly exciting.
However, as with any new cannabinoid, there are concerns over its safety. Very few scientific studies verify its short and long-term side effects. We recommend some caution when buying THCP products. Make sure they’re third-party testing and sold by a credible vendor.
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[momofthegoons]

What is Delta-8 THC?​

What Is Delta-8 THC? Everything to Know​

Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-8-THC) is a minor cannabinoid made from hemp. Believed to produce a milder high than traditional THC (Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), this cannabinoid has exploded in popularity among medical users.

However, there is no federal oversight of Delta-8-THC, and Delta-8-THC products are not labeled for FDA approval. So, is the cannabinoid safe for use? Learn all about the benefits and risks of Delta-8-THC and how it stacks up against its chemical counterpart, Delta-9-THC.

What Is Delta-8 THC?​

Delta-8-THC is a hemp-derived cannabinoid similar to Delta-9-THC but with a mellow twist. Whereas Delta-9-THC can give you a powerful energy lift, Delta-8-THC will help you chill out. Many Delta-8-THC users report that the cannabinoid gives them a floating, weightless feeling similar to other cannabis products, but without the brain fog.

Delta-8 THC vs. Delta-9 THC: What’s the Difference?​

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and Delta-8-THC are nearly identical molecules in structure and have similar psychoactive benefits. Delta-9 and Delta-8 are alike in that both cannabinoids bind to the same cannabinoid receptors in the human nervous system.

The relatively obscure delta-8-THC and the very popular Delta-9-THC molecules have little more than two atoms’ worth of variance. Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol appears to be similar in therapeutic effectiveness to Delta-9-THC.

However, one key difference is that Delta-8-THC is one of the dozen-plus minor cannabinoids, whereas Delta-9-THC is a primary cannabinoid. Delta-8-THC appears in very slight concentrations in the cannabis plant, but the relatively sparse cannabinoid is on course to become one of the weed’s most popular elements.

How Delta-8 THC Affects the Body​

One of the reasons for the rise in popularity of Delta-8-THC is that it is not nearly as psychoactive as Delta-9-THC, the cannabinoid that notoriously “gets you high.” The National Cancer Institute concurs that Delta-8-THC will leave medical cannabis patients with a softer psychoactive footprint, concluding: “This agent exhibits a lower psychotropic potency than Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9-THC), the primary form of THC found in cannabis.”

These properties make Delta-8 THC potentially very useful for children, those particularly sensitive to Delta-9 THC, and those seeking something more tolerable for chronic pain relief during the daytime.

Health Benefits and Uses​

Delta-8-THC offers many of the same potential health benefits as Delta-9-THC, minus the intense high. Here are some therapeutic purposes of Delta-8-THC:

Pain Relief​

THC performs double duty by reducing pain and related inflammation. Different forms of the cannabinoid may even help difficult-to-treat and severe painassociated with chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer treatments like chemotherapy.

Digestive Benefits​

Delta-8-THC may stimulate appetite while simultaneously reducing nausea and vomiting in some people. However, more evidence exists on the ability of Delta-9-THC to help with digestive disorders.

Relaxation​

Soothing minor anxiety is one of the main reasons people turn to Delta-8-THC. The cannabinoid provides a natural alternative to prescription anxiety medications, but you should first consult your medical professional.

Side Effects and Risks​

Compared to Delta-9-THC, Delta-8-THC may come with fewer psychoactive side effects, but the jury is still out. Delta-9-THC side effects can include paranoia and anxiety. Delta-9-THC has even been blamed for triggering dizziness and headaches, conditions that can negate the benefits medical cannabis patients are seeking.

Delta-8-THC is not reputed to trigger these side effects at the same level as Delta-9-THC.​

You may, however, experience these side effects when using Delta-8-THC:

• • Dry mouth
  • Fatigue
  • Red eyes

People who consume Delta-8-THC edibles are more likely to experience severe side effects than those who use other ingestion methods. These side effects are usually mild unless you consume large doses of Delta-8-THC, particularly in edible form. In some cases, edible side effects have led to emergency room visits.

Risks associated with Delta-8-THC include drug interactions. As with all forms of cannabis, avoid using Delta-8-THC if you are taking blood thinners, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, or any other drugs your doctor deems incompatible.

Due to limited studies on Delta-8-THC, other potential side effects and risks are still unclear.

How to Use Delta-8 THC​

Use Delta-8-THC the same way you would use other cannabis products: with caution and responsibility. Ingestion methods include:

• • Vaping (which usually delivers the fastest results)
  • Smoking
  • Edibles
  • Topicals
  • Sublingual tinctures

As with all cannabis consumption, the ingestion method you choose can directly impact your health. So, even though vaping may get you to cloud nine faster, it is not the best ingestion method from a health perspective. Applying topicals may be the safest way to use Delta-8-THC, especially if you’re a new user.

Dosing Guidelines​

Dosing all forms of cannabis is dependent on several key factors, notably your experience level. Always consult with your doctor for specific dosage instructions, but consider these guidelines depending on your level of Delta-8-THC experience:

• • Beginners: Start low at 5 milligrams (mg) or less and do not exceed 15 mg
  • Intermediate: Up to 20 mg
  • Advanced: Up to 40 mg

Again, your ingestion method is an important factor in dosing. In general, start with a lower dose for all edible products and experiment with slightly higher doses for topicals.

Alternatives to Delta-8 THC​

The most obvious alternative to Delta-8-THC is another hemp product, specifically those containing CBD. Some popular CBD products include:

• • CBD oil
  • CBD tinctures
  • CBD gel capsules
  • CBD gummies
  • CBD edibles
  • CBD gels, creams, and lotions

However, the federal government has also failed to regulate CBD, and it remains a substance with little oversight, much like Delta-8-THC. One difference is that CBD is legal in all 50 states, while Delta-8-THC is only legal in a growing patchwork of states.

If cannabis is legal in your state, Delta-9-THC may be another alternative to Delta-8-THC. Be aware, though, that Delta-9-THC will cancel out any of the mildly psychoactive properties of Delta-8-THC and replace them with a much stronger high.

The Bottom Line: Should You Use Delta-8 THC?​

Like all forms of cannabis, you should use Delta-8-THC if your doctor recommends it. Based on your health history and other factors, your physician is best qualified to determine if Delta-8-THC is an appropriate therapeutic treatment for you.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Is Delta-8 THC legal?​

Delta-8-THC is unregulated at the federal level but legal in some states, including New Jersey and California. However, the compound remains illegal in otherwise cannabis-friendly states like Washington and Colorado. On another token, Delta-8-THC is legal in some states like Florida, where recreational cannabis remains illegal.

There is no apparent rhyme or reason to the constantly evolving legal status of Delta-8-THC. Legal changes are occurring quickly, as there is a push to ban Delta-8-THC in many states.

Do Delta-8 products contain THC?​

As Delta-8-THC products are unregulated, they could contain Delta-9-THC or other unexpected ingredients. It is likely that Delta-8-THC products, like other hemp products, including CBD oil, have trace amounts of THC.

The best way to ensure that you’re purchasing a good quality product with the ingredients listed is to visit a licensed cannabis dispensary. A doctor’s prescription for medical marijuana (including specific dosage) is another way to stay safe when using Delta-8-THC products.

What does Delta-8 THC help with?​

Delta-8-THC may help you relax and wind down after a stressful day. The cannabinoid may also stimulate your appetite, decrease chronic pain and help you sleep better.

Experience Delta-8-THC and Delta-9-THC together when you apply for a medical marijuana card. Leafwell’s on-call physicians are ready to meet with you online and guide you step-by-step through the application process

 

[bulllee]

Here's another hemp derived "designer cannabinoid " , THCjd . Very little information on this one.

THCjd: What it Is and Where to Find It - CBD Testers

In today’s recreational cannabis market, we’re currently seeing this ongoing race to isolate and synthesize the most potent, safe, and quasi-legal compounds from the cannabis plant. Since the classic and most popular cannabinoid, Delta 9 THC, is still federally prohibited, we look to alternative...

cbdtesters.co

 

[momofthegoons]

THE RISKY BUSINESS OF SYNTHETIC HIGHS​

Super-potent research cannabinoids have escaped from the lab.

A cannabinoid is any molecule that interacts with at least one of the body’s two cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. This large class of chemicals can be divided into three parts: those produced by cannabis, called phytocannabinoids; those produced within the body, called endogenous cannabinoids or endocannabinoids; and those produced in a lab (that don’t also exist in nature), called synthetic cannabinoids. It’s this latter class of novel molecules, encompassing valuable research chemicals and dangerous street drugs alike, to which we turn our attention.

Project CBD has covered synthetic cannabinoids several times in the past, including their potential role in the 2019 vaping crisis. And they continue to be a subject of considerable interest among chemists, medical researchers, pharmaceutical companies, law-enforcement, legal experts, public-health officials, and drug users.

In the scientific literature, synthetic cannabinoids can be further categorized according to their primary role: as tools for learning more about cannabinoid receptors and the broader endocannabinoid system (ECS); as potential therapies for specific human health conditions; or as potentially dangerous recreational drugs, which proliferate in a world where safer, cannabis-derived cannabinoids are still mostly banned (even, in many cases, for research purposes). These difficult-to-detect, easy-to-make synthetic compounds have in many cases moved from the lab to the drug scene after being described in a research paper.

Much of the new pre-clinical research that Project CBD reports on involves the use of synthetic cannabinoids to tease out various aspects of ECS function or investigates the potential of other synthetics to treat human disease. But a few recent studies focus on these man-made molecules’ third guise as street drugs.

THC & JWH-018​

The molecule known as JWH-018 (the initials come from its creator, John W. Huffman, who was a professor of organic chemistry at Clemson University) is a potent synthetic cannabinoid with an affinity for the CB1 receptor five times greater than that of THC – meaning, roughly speaking, that one-fifth the dose elicits a similar effect. JWH-018 also was possibly the earliest synthetic cannabinoid to escape the lab and appear on the streets in the early 2000s, most famously as an ingredient in the grey-market drug “Spice.”

Although JWH-018 has since been banned in several countries (and replaced with new synthetic chemicals differing by a single atom), it remains in use in large parts of the world – and thus is a worthy subject for researchers. A team at the Netherlands’ Maastricht University recently evaluated the compound’s effects alongside THC. Their goal was to demonstrate a method for comparing the neurocognitive and psychotomimetic profiles of THC and JWH-018 by equalizing them not according to measured dose but by “psychotropic” equivalence – in other words, subjective high according to human subjects in earlier placebo-controlled studies by the same research group.

The findings of the new study, published in May 2022 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, indicate that at equivalent subjective intoxication levels THC and JWH-018 are actually not as different as they seem. Both impaired subjects’ performance at psychomotor, divided attention, and impulse control tasks, with no significant differences between them. Both also produced what the researchers deemed significant psychotomimetic effects (resembling symptoms of psychosis), according to subjects’ questionnaire responses. The main difference was that dissociative effects were considerably more pronounced for JWH-018 than THC.

But in the real world – due to the sky-high potency of JWH-018 and similar synthetic cannabinoids, and the inconsistent content of illicit smoking mixtures – the authors encourage considerable caution: “It is very difficult for users to predict the maximal subjective high,” they write, “resulting in very unpredictable neurocognitive outcomes and common overdosing.”

MEPIRAPIM & SPICE​

Mepirapim is a synthetic cannabinoid first mentioned in the scientific literature in 2013 after it was detected in illegal herbal mixtures in Japan.

The substance later appeared in a 2015 article out of Japan suggesting it could cause heart failure and death in combination with other drugs, and in another in 2017, where the authors, again based in Japan, reported on the case of two individuals who had used it recreationally alongside acetyl fentanyl, an analog of fentanyl.

One of the young men inhaled the drugs and survived; the other took them intravenously and did not.

Mepirapim’s poor reputation is further augmented by its affiliation with John W. Huffman’s infamous “Spice” ingredient: “Considering its structural similarity with JWH-018, which is a controlled Schedule 1 substance in the United States, Mepirapim has a high potential to exhibit psychotropic effects and dangerous side effects,” write the Korea-based authors of a June 2022 paper in the journal Pharmaceuticals.

Still, it’s been lightly studied, with only a few additional references in the scientific literature to date. As such, the researchers sought to further investigate the pharmacology and physiological effects of the drug, with a focus on its addictive potential. Sure enough, they found that Mepirapim treatment “supported the maintenance of intraveneous self-adminstration” in rats compared to a control.

They concluded that the drug “induces addiction-related behaviors through neurochemical maladaptation in the brain” driven by potent activation of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor. But that last point is up for debate as another recent paper addressing Mepirapim and other novel synthetic cannabinoids determined that the drug has “minimal” central CB1 activity and that effects occur through other channels.

MORE SYNTHETIC ALPHABET SOUP​

Two additional studies published in May 2022 seek to better understand the pharmacological activity and potential negative effects of synthetic cannabinoids consumed as recreational drugs.

The first, by Belgian and Italian researchers in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, covers a small class of molecules designed expressly to evade legislation passed in China in July 2021 banning synthetic cannabinoids containing one of seven general core scaffolds. These new chemicals, called OXIZID cannabinoids, possess alternative core structures rendering them technically legal – or at least not explicitly illegal.


In their study, the researchers investigated the potency and efficacy (or maximum effect that can be achieved) at both CB1 and CB2 of five members of this new class. All five behaved as full agonists at CB1 and partial agonists at CB2, and one in particular, called BZO-CHMOXIZID, was highly potent at both receptors, marking it as a potential drug of abuse on regulators’ watch list.

The second study, appearing in the journal Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, honed in on a molecule called UR-144, already widely used alone or in combination with other illicit synthetic cannabinoids all over the world. The Turkey-based authors evaluated the molecular mechanism of serious cardiovascular symptoms associated with its use.


They found that UR-144 induced cell death as a consequence of elevated levels of cytoplasmic Ca2+ (a calcium ion and ubiquitous intracellular messenger) and activation of DAPK1 (an enzyme that regulates cell death). While that may be a bit technical for your average drug user or public-health official, it no doubt means that UR-144 is on the research radar. The authors call for studies to further elucidate molecular mechanisms of the drug’s cardiotoxic effects.

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Nate Seltenrich, an independent science journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covers a wide range of subjects including environmental health, neuroscience, and pharmacology. Copyright, Project CBD.

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FOOTNOTES​

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-021-05768-0
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9160432/
3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11419-013-0217-2
4. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ams2.182
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29367864/
6. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/15/6/710/htm#B17-pharmaceuticals-15-00710
7. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00822
8. https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.10…
9. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15376516.2022.2081829?scrol…