Delta 8 has boomed in popularity since its legalization under the Farm Bill of 2018, which legalized hemp and hemp derivatives at a federal level. While the compound comes in many forms, from tinctures to vapes, the main and most popular way to consume delta 8 seems to be in gummy form.
If you’ve ever had edibles, you know that they feel much stronger and last much longer than other ingestion methods. But what makes delta 8 gummies so strong? And how long will traces of the compound stay in your system after initial consumption?
Delta 8, or delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, is a psychoactive compound found in trace amounts in the cannabis plant. The cannabinoid is naturally occurring in hemp and marijuana plants, but their production is minute, and given delta 8's popularity, it simply isn't enough. As a result, scientists and chemists have found a way to isomerize delta 8 using CBD, a natural, but non-psychoactive compound found abundantly in cannabis, particularly hemp.
Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is commonly known as “the mother of all cannabinoids,” and is the compound that all hemp compounds, from CBD to THC, stem from. This means that all cannabinoids have pretty similar molecular structures; they have the same molecules, but their different arrangements give each cannabinoid its own set of properties and effects. The process of isomerization simply involves rearranging these molecules and transforming one compound to another using chemical reactions.
The compound is most closely related to delta 9, commonly known as THC, which is the primary and most plentiful psychoactive compound found in cannabis plants. There is only one difference between their molecular structures: delta 9 has a double bond on its ninth carbon atom, while delta 8 has it on its eighth, which slightly changes their effects and potency.
Because of this structural change, delta 8 is about half as potent as delta 9, which is excellent news for anyone seeking a palpable psychoactive experience without any strong side effects. Research suggests that the compound's reduced potency may also reduce its risk of causing some of the negative side effects commonly associated with delta 9 - most notably, anxiety and paranoia.
The main attraction of delta 8 is that it offers a similar experience to delta 9 but with a more manageable and pleasant high. A significatnly reduced risk of anxiety and paranoia seems worth the decreased potency. While you'll still get a buzz from delta 8, you'll remain clear-headed and in control.
Delta 8 is often referred to as "diet weed", but it still has many of the same properties as delta 9, albeit to a lesser extent. Among these benefits are:
Despite delta 8's milder effects than delta 9, it can still cause some of cannabis's infamous side effects. The most common adverse reactions are dry eyes and dry mouth, which can be easily relieved by hydrating and picking up eye drops at your local drugstore. There are, however, other more serious effects that can occur, such as a rapid heartbeat or short-term memory loss.
Good news about delta 8 is that its mild potency also means mild side effects. Often called the "nicer younger sibling of delta 9," the compound is less likely to cause uncomfortable side effects such as paranoia and anxiety. Even at higher doses, delta 8's effects are much milder and easier to manage than delta 9's.
Due to their similar chemical structures, delta 8 and delta 9 have virtually identical safety profiles. The compounds are both non-lethal, non-addictive, and do not appear to cause any significant long-term effects.
Delta 8 gummies, as their name may suggest, are simply gummy products infused with delta 8. While it’s true that any delta 8 product will give you the compound’s effects, delta 8 gummies are an especially potent way to reap the buzzy benefits of delta 8.
If you’ve ever experimented with edibles, you already know they take a little longer to kick in than other methods like vapes or oils. But once they do kick in, they feel much stronger and last much longer than vaping or dropping delta 8. But why is that?
It’s all about the digestive process. When you vape or drop delta 8 under your tongue, the compound is absorbed into your bloodstream almost immediately through the veins in your mouth or the lining of your lungs. While these effects begin to kick in within minutes, they usually fade after a couple of hours. Edibles like gummies, however, need to bypass your digestive system before they can reach the bloodstream and subsequently, the brain, making them take longer than other methods of ingestion.
After you munch on a gummy, the product travels down your esophagus and into your stomach, where it is broken down into different compound by the acids in the stomach. From there, delta 8 gets sent to the liver, where it is metabolized as 11-hydroxy-THC, a metabolite much stronger than delta 8 and delta 9. Once this metabolite enters the bloodstream, it travels to the brain, where it sets in and produces psychoactive effects much stronger than those of most psychoactive cannabinoids.
Because 11-hydroxy-THC is so much stronger, the effects of edibles feel much more potent. So, essentially, eating 5mg of delta 8 will feel exponentially more potent than vaping the same amount of the compound. Additionally, edibles have been noted to have longer lasting effects, usually lasting upwards of 8 hours but sometimes lasting more than 10!
Delta 8 gummies are extremely likely to show up on a drug test. Although delta 8 is legal under the federal Farm Bill, marijuana-derived THC is not. But because delta 8 and delta 9 are so structurally similar, drug tests aren’t advanced enough to tell the difference between the two. So, even if you’re using cannabis lawfully, legal delta 8 can still trigger a positive drug test.
Drug tests usually detect substances with two types of technology, the Immunoassay (IA) Test, and the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The former is the most common, as it is the quickest and cheapest way to test for cannabis-related macromolecules. The latter is more time-consuming, but also more accurate.
Because delta 8 and delta 9 are so similar, the body processes them identically, meaning that even though drug tests search for traces of delta 9, delta 8 can still trigger a positive on the tests. If you know you have a drug test coming up, it’s best to avoid delta 8 products altogether for a few weeks beforehand. If you’re caught off guard and know you’ve only consumed delta 8, you could ask your employer to retest using the gas chromatography method, but it’s up to them whether they retest or not.
Different factors, including age, weight, metabolism, frequency of use, and even hydration determine how long delta 8 can stay in your system. The potency of your product also affects its duration in the body—delta 8 products with higher potencies tend to linger for longer than those with less potency.
Depending on your frequency of usage, delta 8 may remain in your system for:
Apart from using urine tests, some workplaces or medical sites may use other methods to test your body for cannabinoid residues. All in all, how long after using delta 8 it will still show up on a drug test depends on what type of test you use. So, here’s a few other timeframes for different types of drug tests:
Remember, how long the compound stays in your system depends on how much and how frequently you use delta 8, so while these tests could possibly detect the cannabinoid your system months after initial consumption, it could also be gone in less time.
Delta 8 gummies are certainly a delicious way to enjoy the buzzy benefits of the compound in a potent and long-lasting way. That said, many users remain curious about some of the nuances surrounding these mouthwatering products.
Because delta 8 gummies are metabolized and converted into 11-hydroxy-THC, a metabolite much stronger than delta 8 and delta 9, their effects feel stronger and last longer than other ways of ingesting delta 8. How long the compound stays in your system largely depends on how much delta 8 you take and how frequently you consume it.
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Adam Mizrahi
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