Delta-8 marijuana products can be dangerous, health officials warn

From Live Science.com (Sept. 14):

U.S. health officials are warning about the potential dangers of "delta-8 THC," a compound derived from marijuana, after seeing an increase in hospitalizations tied to the substance.

On Tuesday (Sept. 14), both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted consumers of a recent rise in the availability of products containing delta-8 THC, as well as reports of adverse effects from the products.

Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of more than 100 compounds known as "cannabinoids" found in the cannabis plant. It is similar to delta-9 THC, the psychoactive compound that's primarily responsible for the high people experience from marijuana. Delta-8 THC is estimated to be about 50% to 75% as psychoactive as delta-9 THC, but it's naturally produced in only very low levels in the cannabis plant, according to the CDC.

For this reason, some manufacturers use chemicals to convert other, non-psychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), into delta-8 THC. This process may create byproducts, or contaminants, that are harmful to people's health, according to the FDA.

In addition, products containing delta-8 THC are sometimes labeled simply as "hemp," a term that refers to the non-psychoactive parts of the cannabis plant and their derivatives. Such labeling may mislead consumers into thinking that they are taking a product without psychoactive effects, the FDA says. What's more, some products containing delta-8 THC may be labeled with only the delta-9 concentration, rather than total THC content, which would underestimate the dose of THC in the product. [read more]

A word to the wise about having a toke.