Some new exciting things are happening in the cannabis world. Over the last few years, a few new cannabinoids have hit the scene and Delta 10 is the most recent. It is a synthetic isomer of the previous cannabinoid, Delta 9. Essentially it is the same product but rearranged into a new form. These synthetic cannabinoids are relatively unresearched and don’t have a huge amount of information behind them but they may spell a new reality for weed smokers. What most people want to know is if Delta 10 is safe to consume and if it is legal. So let’s have a look at this next stage in cannabinoid technology.
What Exactly Is Delta 10?
There are hundreds of cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. Delta 10 is simply one of the most recent to be discovered and is known as a minor cannabinoid. Delta 10 will only appear in very small amounts near the beginning of plant growth, which is why it was previously undiscovered. It is also why it has been synthesised as it is difficult to actually collect enough of it to be useful. Cultivators take great pains to extract it at the perfect time in order to be able to synthesise it further. The slight difference in the structure of the isomer can result in a completely different experience for the user. Delta essentially refers to the chemical reaction where the catalyst is heat. This is essentially what happens when you decarboxylate weed for cooking. Basically Delta 10 just bonds on the 10th carbon chain, just like Delta 8 bonds on the 8th, 9 on the 9th etc.
Where Did It Come From?
Delta 10 is the newest cannabinoid so essentially we didn’t know about it until relatively recently. All cannabinoids are discovered in different ways, this one was a complete accident. Scientists were messing around with Delta 9 cannabinoid concentrates and they didn’t realise that these concentrates were contaminated. There was some sort of fire retardant in the samples and after distillation, they realised that crystals were forming. The structure of the crystals was completely different to other cannabinoids they had worked with. Eventually, they realised that these crystals were a form of THC. Without the contamination of the original samples, we wouldn’t have this new cannabinoid. Of course, the other Delta 10 products are not contaminated, it was simply the catalyst to discovering this form of THC.
What Are The Effects?
Most of our understanding of this cannabinoid comes from anecdotal evidence. There hasn’t been a lot of research put specifically into this form of THC. The only thing it has been tested on officially is a pigeon or two, but they didn’t seem to get stoned. How you can tell if a pigeon is baked is beyond me, but I’m not a scientist. So we need to have a little look into the humans that have taken this form of THC and what their experience has been. It can be difficult to track who has had what experience. Most of our information at the moment has come from Reddit and those who have used and reviewed Delta 10. Many say it’s a less intense high or that it is more calming. Others that it is less psychoactive than other forms of THC. So far, the issue with testing is that it’s hard to tell if it is really Delta 10 being tested or just another similar cannabinoid. We also have to take into account that some users may have simply read about what Delta 10 is meant to do and are experiencing the placebo effect. It can be pretty easy to convince people they feel a certain way, especially if they aren’t sure what they are expecting.
Is It Safe?
Obviously, if we haven’t had it properly tested by anyone other than a few pigeons, do we know it’s safe to use? Technically we can’t consider it safe for obvious reasons. Mainly the complete lack of research and testing. It is so rarely found in plants that it is considered synthetic, so we don’t have the old “it’s natural” argument. Then again, there are not many cannabis products that are fully tested and regulated, especially modern ones. Just like anything synthetic you may want to proceed with caution. However, if you are happy to take the word of other smokers it should be essentially fine.
How Do You Take It?
If you decide you want to go ahead and give Delta 10 a go then this is how you take it. Right now the best way to ingest Delta 10 is through the few products on the market that contain it. This is mostly cartridges, vapes, flowers and edibles. You can easily get gummies and tinctures online along with a few other bits and pieces. If you are unsure about taking anything with Delta 10 in it just start with a super low dose and see what happens. Then you can up the dose if you feel like you need to.
Is It Legal?
With any new synthetic, it is hard to say if it is legal or not. It is technically legal because no one has bothered to make it illegal yet. However, in some parts of the world, it is illegal simply because it is derived from hemp. This means that it is automatically illegal from day one. There are also places where hemp is legal and cannabis isn’t. Because Delta 10 technically comes from hemp and not cannabis, it would be legal in these areas. As you can see, it’s all a pretty massive grey area.
Future of Delta 10
Like with anything in this arena, its future is unclear. Currently, people aren’t really working on producing more of it and there isn’t an enormous market for it but this may purely be due to the lack of testing and certainty. From a corporate standpoint, there are quite a lot of companies ready to trot out products containing the new cannabinoid. So really I think this is going to be a case of waiting and seeing.
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