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My Musings on Delta 8 Hemp So Far
Howdy ho, my precious cosmic blueberries!
Your jester of Joints, Penguin Pete here, and you've seen me review quite a few products for Dab Connection over time. I have sampled, I think, enough strains of the wonder product that is delta 8 dry herb hemp to make some observations, for those of you considering it as an alternative. So take this as just some general observation about the industry. I'm not just aiming this at end consumers, but companies might want to make a few notes off here too.
Delta 8 Dry Herb Hemp Products : General Musings
Eh, see these like Andy Rooney observations about delta 8 hemp products. Anyone, Andy Rooney, 60 Minutes? Yeah, I'm old. Anywho:
Delta 8 Hemp Can Still Carry High Amounts of CBD
For those of you using cannabis for medical or therapeutic reasons, you should know that strains high in both CBD and delta 8 are widely available. So maybe you can benefit off two cannabinoids for the price of one.
Delta 8 Hemp is Produced From Hemp AND Concentrate
There is not yet such a thing as a plant naturally high in delta 8, growing as-is. (However, we're almost sure to see something like this in the future) In the meantime, delta 8 hemp is made by applying a concentrated delta 8 formula onto the hemp. It's more fair to say "fortified hemp," I guess.
So far, delta 8 hemp beats delta 8 concentrate vapes
So far the delta 8 vapes (as in distillate oil / oilpen ) I have tried are harsh and artificial-tasting in the best cases. Good quality delta 8 hemp smokes like weed, smells like weed, tastes like weed, and is now getting nearly indistinguishable from weed. I have noticed a definite ranking of quality in delta 8 hemp; gas station stuff is crap; buy from a quality merchant and you get outstanding stuff.
Delta 8 edibles carry similar effects
Since delta 8 is weaker in overall effect than D9THC, the edibles have a lower potency threshold. Meaning even if you take a LOT of delta 8 in edible form ( I think my record is 100MG delta 8 edibles at once, maybe 150MG), you still won't be slammed as hard as you would the equivalent straight THC dosage.
Given high enough doses, delta 8 feels closer to D9THC
I never believed it until I found delta 8 hemp with a listed lab-proven concentration of over 30% D8! But it can get you nearly (but not all the way) "stoned" as regular THC. The one common factor I note in delta 8 that will never close the gap with classic THC is that delta 8 feels more energetic, with more mental clarity and less fog. But classic THC feels better, stonier, more of a melt-into-the-couch baked sensation.
Try delta 8/9/10 all together at once!
I have found en edible tincture which packs a 30MG hit of all three, both delta 8 & 10 as well as regular delta 9 THC. The effect was very good, with the three having a kind of entourage effect on their own, even isolated from terpenes. I'm looking for more alt-cannabinoid combos like this, because it gets really interesting here.
Delta 8 + terpenes = better benefits from the entourage effect
I also notice that the same entourage effect you get with regular weed, you get with delta 8 hemp. But delta 8 leans on that entourage even more, to compensate for the weaker delta 8. So what I'm saying here, is that delta 8 hemp with a full compliment of terpenes from the hemp feels stronger than delta 8 by itself, even at a higher dose. We know that some terpenes, particularly myrcene, fit into the body's natural endocannabinoid system, so this speaks to the possibility that terpenes simply help delta 8 bind better / more effectively?
Delta 8 to Wake & Bake; THC to kick back at night?
I'm really starting to use it this way.
The below is aimed at producers and distributors of delta 8 hemp:
Weed is Not Wine ; It does not benefit from aging!
This is more directed at companies producing delta 8 hemp. The most common gripe I have had with delta 8 hemp is when I get it dried out, like last year's grass dug out of the lawnmower blade. Freshness seals count for a LOT, along with those packet dealies they put in to preserve it as well. By the time it's dried out hay, it's even weaker than you'd expect from hemp because the cannabinoids have degraded and broken down. Plus, smoking aged, dry hemp is just a joyless experience. You might as well scrape resin at that point, it's just as harsh.
Packagers: List Terpenes Please!
It doesn't do consumers much good to call your hemp strain "Girl Scout Cookies" - It's HEMP, it is not related to anything that Snoop Dogg has touched, OK? Just let us know what terpenes we get for a full spectrum effect. Delta 8 with the right terpenes gets more benefit from the Entourage Effect than straight-THC weed.
The worst flavor factor is the harshness
By far, the most common complaint about delta 8 in any form - concentrate, extract, or herb - is the harshness. The more artificially produced it is, the more harsh to smoke. My lungs have blazed a mighty forest of weed, but it isn't until I load up a bongload of delta 8 hemp that I start coughing. When I find a smoother strain, it's bliss. Work on that harshness, maybe experiment with different ways of processing it.
OK crew, just my 2ยข! Till next time!
Your jester of Joints, Penguin Pete here, and you've seen me review quite a few products for Dab Connection over time. I have sampled, I think, enough strains of the wonder product that is delta 8 dry herb hemp to make some observations, for those of you considering it as an alternative. So take this as just some general observation about the industry. I'm not just aiming this at end consumers, but companies might want to make a few notes off here too.
Delta 8 Dry Herb Hemp Products : General Musings
Eh, see these like Andy Rooney observations about delta 8 hemp products. Anyone, Andy Rooney, 60 Minutes? Yeah, I'm old. Anywho:
Delta 8 Hemp Can Still Carry High Amounts of CBD
For those of you using cannabis for medical or therapeutic reasons, you should know that strains high in both CBD and delta 8 are widely available. So maybe you can benefit off two cannabinoids for the price of one.
Delta 8 Hemp is Produced From Hemp AND Concentrate
There is not yet such a thing as a plant naturally high in delta 8, growing as-is. (However, we're almost sure to see something like this in the future) In the meantime, delta 8 hemp is made by applying a concentrated delta 8 formula onto the hemp. It's more fair to say "fortified hemp," I guess.
So far, delta 8 hemp beats delta 8 concentrate vapes
So far the delta 8 vapes (as in distillate oil / oilpen ) I have tried are harsh and artificial-tasting in the best cases. Good quality delta 8 hemp smokes like weed, smells like weed, tastes like weed, and is now getting nearly indistinguishable from weed. I have noticed a definite ranking of quality in delta 8 hemp; gas station stuff is crap; buy from a quality merchant and you get outstanding stuff.
Delta 8 edibles carry similar effects
Since delta 8 is weaker in overall effect than D9THC, the edibles have a lower potency threshold. Meaning even if you take a LOT of delta 8 in edible form ( I think my record is 100MG delta 8 edibles at once, maybe 150MG), you still won't be slammed as hard as you would the equivalent straight THC dosage.
Given high enough doses, delta 8 feels closer to D9THC
I never believed it until I found delta 8 hemp with a listed lab-proven concentration of over 30% D8! But it can get you nearly (but not all the way) "stoned" as regular THC. The one common factor I note in delta 8 that will never close the gap with classic THC is that delta 8 feels more energetic, with more mental clarity and less fog. But classic THC feels better, stonier, more of a melt-into-the-couch baked sensation.
Try delta 8/9/10 all together at once!
I have found en edible tincture which packs a 30MG hit of all three, both delta 8 & 10 as well as regular delta 9 THC. The effect was very good, with the three having a kind of entourage effect on their own, even isolated from terpenes. I'm looking for more alt-cannabinoid combos like this, because it gets really interesting here.
Delta 8 + terpenes = better benefits from the entourage effect
I also notice that the same entourage effect you get with regular weed, you get with delta 8 hemp. But delta 8 leans on that entourage even more, to compensate for the weaker delta 8. So what I'm saying here, is that delta 8 hemp with a full compliment of terpenes from the hemp feels stronger than delta 8 by itself, even at a higher dose. We know that some terpenes, particularly myrcene, fit into the body's natural endocannabinoid system, so this speaks to the possibility that terpenes simply help delta 8 bind better / more effectively?
Delta 8 to Wake & Bake; THC to kick back at night?
I'm really starting to use it this way.
The below is aimed at producers and distributors of delta 8 hemp:
Weed is Not Wine ; It does not benefit from aging!
This is more directed at companies producing delta 8 hemp. The most common gripe I have had with delta 8 hemp is when I get it dried out, like last year's grass dug out of the lawnmower blade. Freshness seals count for a LOT, along with those packet dealies they put in to preserve it as well. By the time it's dried out hay, it's even weaker than you'd expect from hemp because the cannabinoids have degraded and broken down. Plus, smoking aged, dry hemp is just a joyless experience. You might as well scrape resin at that point, it's just as harsh.
Packagers: List Terpenes Please!
It doesn't do consumers much good to call your hemp strain "Girl Scout Cookies" - It's HEMP, it is not related to anything that Snoop Dogg has touched, OK? Just let us know what terpenes we get for a full spectrum effect. Delta 8 with the right terpenes gets more benefit from the Entourage Effect than straight-THC weed.
The worst flavor factor is the harshness
By far, the most common complaint about delta 8 in any form - concentrate, extract, or herb - is the harshness. The more artificially produced it is, the more harsh to smoke. My lungs have blazed a mighty forest of weed, but it isn't until I load up a bongload of delta 8 hemp that I start coughing. When I find a smoother strain, it's bliss. Work on that harshness, maybe experiment with different ways of processing it.
OK crew, just my 2ยข! Till next time!