There was a time when we used "THC" to describe a single compound, and there was virtually no confusion about it. However, in reality, there are a handful of psychoactive compounds in cannabis, and they have distinctive characteristics.
These days, there are two THCs that you’ll often see as the active ingredient in hemp and cannabis products: Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC.
Delta-8 (D8) and Delta-9 (D9) THC are two phytocannabinoids, or cannabis compounds, and they both produce a psychoactive effect. They both get you high and can be found in Utah medical cannabis pharmacies as well as hemp products, yet distinguishing between them can be difficult, as products containing one or the other look nearly identical.
They’re closely related in chemical structures, yet fundamentally different, both in the way they are extracted and also in the way they are regulated. Knowing the difference between these forms of THC is critical to the health and well-being of medical cannabis patients and consumers of hemp products alike.
Chemically speaking, D8 THC is an isomer (same chemical formula, different properties) of the psychoactive compound Delta-9 THC—the THC we all know that gets us high. American cannabis research pioneer Dr. Roger Adams—who first isolated CBD in 1940 and researched it for the U.S. government—also knew of these compounds. (Adams was unfortunately entangled in the second "Red Scare" and accused of being a Communist amid the scourge of McCarthyism.)
Other cannabis researchers like the late Raphael Mechoulam—who helped make Israel a center for progressive medical cannabis research—have known about Delta-8 THC and many other cannabis compounds for decades, and they were explored for their medicinal properties. Weirdly, THC, which is the compound most consumers are seeking, wasn’t isolated until 1964 by Mechoulam.
In other words, D8 THC is nothing new to cannabis researchers. However, products containing D8 THC have suddenly grown popular in recent years.
Today, D8 is primarily used as a "diet weed" that has a milder, more subjective, hit-or-miss high. Products with D8 THC and other hemp-derived ingredients can be found in hemp shops or at gas stations that don’t require a medical card like a medical cannabis pharmacy. […]
Both Delta-8 and delta-9 THC will get you high, but experts say it’s smart to know the difference.
