Delta 8 Semi-Quazi-Nearly Cannabis Products. Anybody?

Rusty,

I would consider growing your own product....You seem like a very moderate user and so one or two nice “girls” of whatever strain you’re seeking is easily achievable with the upmost discretion and safety if you go about it properly.  Especially given some of the affordable equipment now available on-line.  Not only is a home grow very cheap, but you also know exactly what you’re ingesting....Just a thought.

Hey Rusty. Delta 8 is indeed safe and not man-made or tampered with. It is a natural compound derived from hemp. Certainly no comparison to synthetic cannabis which as far as I can tell is just poisonous. 

The affects are remarkably similar to normal cannabis, which contains the Delta 9 THC, but less psychoactive. Interested to hear about your gummy experience. 

Totally agree with Chain here. The benefits and experience of a growing your own product is sublime.  Or so I’ve heard... 

@brendan  Thank you, Brenden.  The USPS seems bogged down with orders!  I'll report back when I finally get my gummies!  

I received my small order of Delta 8 gummies yesterday.  I am providing the following feedback on the item in as scientific a manner as I can.

I ingested one gummy square after my evening meal.  Trying to avoid any "placebo effect", I tried to forget that I had eaten it at all.  In about 50 minutes, I began to feel ... something.  By the time 90 minutes had passed, I was certain of a very cannabis-like "buzz".

More of a "body high" than a head high.  All in all, very nice and enjoyable.  More than anything - legal to possess in my area - at least for now.  There will be some sort of vote in October to finalize (or jeopardize?) something called "the Hemp Rule".  

I have ordered some Delta 8 buds - which from what I understand are male plants (hemp) that have been sprayed with the Delta 8 substance (which I hope is NOT a "chemical").  I'll report on this experience as well.

If these buds produce the same effects as the gummy, I'll really be doing some serious head-scratching.  The effect is so similar to that of Marijuana - it's like some law was written stating that Pepsi is illegal but you can have Coke-a-Cola.  So incredibly similar - why differentiate?  

Probably because of some sort of psychological preference on my own behalf - I'd really rather have good ol', normal, natural God-created Marijuana.  If these buds are similar enough - and remain legal, maybe I'll just have them mailed to me on a regular basis.  I'll certainly be thankful to have them, but I'll never understand how/why they could be legal and the authentic item not.

In the interest of science ...

Peace.

R

Rusty,

Thanks for the feedback on the Delta 8.  As far as your comment about why it’s legal and traditional cannabis is not, I think it’s just a continuation of the absurdity of the decades long war on cannabis in general.  

There really is no logic behind this war, frankly, given the subjectivity of what substances the gov’t deems legal and which ones it deems illegal. 

Seriously, the war is a sham and nothing but a money grab for the special interests who profit from the continued prohibition. Delta 8 is just a marketing ploy leveraged on a loophole in the scattered mess of laws now regulating cannabis and hemp....

While I fully understand that President Biden has a whole host of Trump messes to clean up, rescheduling cannabis at the federal level seems to have already fallen off the administrations radar.....

I do hope in the year he has relative control of Congress he’ll achieve this long overdue reform. Doing so may bring some consistency to the patchwork laws now regulating cannabis.

@rusty Thanks for the review. That’s consistent with my experience and what I’ve heard from others.

Chain hits the nail on the head re: the absurdities of the laws. The compounds are virtually identical, yet one is legal under the Farm Bill of 2018. Go figure... 

The fear in the Hemp community now is that the feds are going to catch on and change the law. That would only be achieved by an act of Congress, so the likelihood of that is questionable. I hope...

I also received a "sampler" of buds.  "Sampler" - 6 jars containing Delta 8 buds - each with a different name or title.  So far, I have only experimented with the ones called "Delta Jazzy 8".  The texture of these buds is consistent with a well-manicured quantity of actual marijuana.  Again, to my understanding - MALE (Hemp) variety of the marijuana plant - sprayed with Delta 8 extract (whatever).  Each of the jars was actually a good bit bigger than I anticipated that they would be!  The effect is very close to what you'd expect from "decent" weed.  It ain't the "one-hit wonder" or anything like that.  The effect is calming and relaxing and seems to last for a while.  I'd certainly rather have the real-deal, but this stuff is legal - at least for now.  I hope that this somehow inspires legislation to legalize and even tax actual cannabis.  I am very delighted to have found Delta 8.  But I'd welcome the opportunity to be a law-abiding tax-payer.  😉 

Peace.

R

Luckily, pot is legal in Illinois - but it is expensive.  High prices and high taxes, but glad to have it. Taxes are 35%, unless you get a medical card - then it is like 2.5%.  Amazing the different products - flower, vape cartridges, many types of edibles.  One favorite is a tonic drink - different flavors, 12 oz bottles.  100 mg thc and 100 mg cbd.  About 3 ounces is good to get a good buzz and to feel good.  They also have the topicals for arthritis and pain relief.

Luckily, they offer good discounts if you are a regular ... 

You order online, select a time period to pick it up, and go get it ... pretty easy ... cash only though unless you use something like CanPay.   Not like Colorado where you can go in and browse - no products out for you to see.  But they do have 'budtenders' to help you select what you want.....

@sang  What does an ounce of cannabis go for in a legal dispensary type situation?  Are taxes on weed higher in Illinois than in Colorado?

3.5 grams is $55-$65, got some on sale for $45 last time - that is before the 35% tax.  They usually don't have big quantities, although I once got a 7 gram pack that was $155.  They currently show a couple 28 gram (1 oz) packs at $270 - again, add 35% tax.  My local dispency currently is showing 55 different brands/strains for sale with different potencies and some with small amounts of cbd.   Vape cartrides go for $45-$65 for .5 gram.

They also have a loyalty program, where you get money off your next visit depending on how much you spend.

Don't know about Colorado, haven't been there in a while ...

@sang  Interesting.  Those prices are in-line with what I was able to obtain in the wild until recently.  

@rusty

Interesting stuff about the Delta buds....However, hemp is not the male sex of cannabis, but a separate but related species altogether. Think of hemp and cannabis as cousins.  

Incidentally, hops, most famous for its use in brewing your favorite beer, is also a cousin of cannabis....Which illustrates yet again the absurdity and arbitrary manner with which the federal government regulates these plants.

The male cannabis plant typically does not contain THC (which technically is also a cannabinoid...thus the “C” in the acronym. The only real function in nature for the male is to pollinate the female which is indeed the source, at present, of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC. 

Science is only beginning to understanding the synergistic effects of consuming not only the cannabinoid THC, but the 60 and counting other cannabinoids found in various strains of cannabis and hemp.

But who the hell knows what the scientists will tweak next given the copious amount of money now pouring into the development of this industry.  Innovation will rule this business just as it does most others.

@chain  Thank you, Mr. Science!  I've always thought Hemp was the male plant!  This explains all those stories about sailors smoking ropes on ships at sea!  The Delta 8 buds produce a very nice, cannabis-like frame of being.  Like that Cracker song said, "... like being stoned".  😉 

@rusty

It’s pretty cool that these Delta buds appear to also include a slight psychoactive effect per your testimony....You mentioned above that they’re sprayed with a Delta 8 extract. I wonder if the extract is in fact a concentrated tincture made from actual cannabis thus possibly containing actual THC...

Maybe not a high content of THC, but a very moderate level possibly from an Indica female (which typically gives a calming, mellow, body type of high)....Either way, I personally love all the innovation and reform occurring all across America over the past 20 years now....

Speaking of which, word from Albany, NY today is that there appears to be an agreement on actual legislation to advance the recreational use of cannabis in New York State...

Perhaps most interesting is that it will NOT be done via the budget process but with actual legislation....Something that gives the state Senate and Assembly more power to include specific details....Rumor is the legislation provides for adults to grow a small amount at their residence.  A component Andrew Cuomo did not support.  Given he’s politically wounded at the moment, I suspect he hasn’t the will to make this a big fight...

So maybe a big win for proponents who have fought for this home grow option for three years now....I for one am hopeful it will be included and absolutely thrilled it still has a chance....Literally three weeks ago it was a component dead on arrival if Cuomo had his way.