What is a Delta 8 THC high like?

There is a lot of new information that has been flying around lately about delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 8 THC or D8). This is because there has been such a jump in its popularity; everyone seems to be talking about it. But that doesn’t mean that everyone actually understands what it is and what its effects are like, especially the high (also known as a feeling of euphoria) that it could produce. That’s why we, at DharmaD8, want to make sure that you are fully educated on this stuff. That way, you can go and give it a try, feeling confident about it. So, let’s get started!

What to know about a Delta 8 THC high

This is where a lot of people start to get weary of D8. Many people claim that Delta 8 THC either can’t give you a feeling of euphoria, or the one it gives you is so weak that it’s not worth it. But none of these claims are true. Let’s discuss why.

To start with, let’s talk about how another compound that you may already be familiar with, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9 THC, usually just called THC), works. It is the compound that causes the high that everyone associates with cannabis, so it’s a good place to start as it will act as a frame of reference to work with. The way that Delta 9 THC is built is interesting. It is built to bind with the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) receptors nice and tight. These receptors are what helps your body control certain functions. The bind that Delta 9 THC makes with the ECS receptors causes the high that many people look for when they use cannabis.

D8, as we briefly mentioned earlier, is almost the same as Delta 9 THC. But it has just one small difference in how it’s built. With this difference, it binds with the ECS receptors tightly, but the bind isn’t as tight as Delta 9 THC. As a result, it causes a feeling of euphoria. That feeling is just slightly different from Delta 9 THC’s. A lot of people say that Delta 8 THC is weaker, but in reality, it’s just less intense. Most people say that it is just a bit more bodily. There are even people who say that they don’t freak out when using D8 as much as they would with Delta 9 THC.

However, all of this is the more technical side of the Delta 8 THC high. It may help to talk about a personal account a bit. A Leafly writer named Dante Jordan gave some D8 a try and wrote about it. Jordan is an old hand at THC, but mainly just Delta 9 THC. He says that he uses it daily, so is completely familiar with the feeling. Going into trying Delta 8 THC, he wasn’t expecting much. However, he reported that not only did he feel the D8 pretty strongly, but he also felt a burst of motivation and productivity. This feeling helped him get over the writer’s block he had been struggling with for months and was able to complete a few different projects that he had been working on.

While there are a lot of people who have tried Delta 8 THC and can report on how it made them feel, there is one thing you should always bear in mind. Hemp compounds, especially D8, affect everyone a little bit differently. Delta 8 THC may not make you freak out, but your friend might freak out a bit when they give it a try. So, really the only way to know what Delta 8 THC’s high is like is to give it a try yourself.

However, it’s important to remember that the fact that D8 affects everyone a little bit differently is also why everyone has their own Delta 8 THC dosage. Some people may require only a little bit to feel the D8 high. Others may need a lot to feel anything. This is because everyone has a slightly different chemical make-up. So, just because someone you’re hanging out with can use a whole bunch of Delta 8 THC without any issues, doesn’t necessarily mean that you can too, especially if you don’t use THC much. This means that you simply have to approach D8 with some mild caution to make sure you don’t accidentally take too much. Click here to read more about Delta 8 vs Delta 9.

Since Delta 8 THC causes a high, is it even legal?

This is a very common question, and we understand confusion and hesitation. After all, people tend to assume that anything made from industrial hemp  is illegal. But it’s not as cut-and-dry as you may think at first. Let’s explore this a bit further.

Every five years, the United States Legislature takes a good, hard look at the Farm Bill. This is a bill that helps regulate what farmers can grow and sell in the United States. The point of reviewing this bill is to see if there are any changes that need to be made. In 2018, it was time to look at the bill again. This time when the bill was passed with the latest updates, there was an amendment that federally legalized industrial hemp. This legalization also included the compounds found in hemp, including D8.

However, don’t think that this means that Delta 8 THC is legal in every state. The term “federally legal” may sound like it’s legal everywhere, but that’s not the case. Being “federally legal” really means that it sets a precedent for states to choose whether or not they want to follow. Most states have followed the example and have legalized hemp. The main restriction that most states have is that you have to be at least 18 or 21 years old to use hemp products. But there are still plenty of states that have kept hemp illegal or made laws against D8 specifically. So, you will need to do some research on your local Delta 8 THC laws.

To save you some time, we at DharmaD8 don’t ship to Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Utah due to the prevailing laws in these states. This is the case with most D8 manufacturers. If you live in one of these states, don’t despair! Laws change all the time. There is a chance that as hemp use becomes more and more prevalent in the United States, the states that have been dragging their feet will change their minds. In the meantime, be patient (and maybe look into moving to a different state).

Delta 8 THC products and their effects

One thing that is important to know about D8’s high is that different products take different amounts of time to give you high. So, let’s take a moment to go over these products and their effect on the Delta 8 THC high.

Oils and tinctures

To begin, we’re going to talk about D8 oils. These are Delta 8 THC extracts that have been mixed with a carrier oil and, occasionally, another essential oil. Oils and tinctures are fairly common products, well-loved for their versatility. They are also diverse in their effects, depending on how you use them. There are three main ways to use oils and tinctures. You can use them directly, as an edible, and as a topical. 

When you use D8 oil directly, you simply place the drops into your mouth, leave them there for a few seconds, then swallow. Some of the Delta 8 THC is able to absorb through the thin skin in the mouth and enter your bloodstream that way. This is the fastest way to feel the D8 high.

Using Delta 8 THC oil as an edible is by using it in your cooking. There are a lot of people who prefer this method because it is less likely to leave that distinct hemp flavor in your mouth that you may get when you take it directly. The downside is that it takes a long time to start working because the food needs to digest a bit to release the D8.

Another way to use Delta 8 THC oil is as a topical. This means that you rub the oil on your skin like a lotion. While this could be a way to access the potential pain-relieving effects of D8, the compound never actually enters your bloodstream. As a result, it doesn’t create a high. If you’re looking for a high, you’ll do better with one of the other two methods for using Delta 8 THC oil.

Smokables

Smokables are probably one of the more traditional kinds of D8 products out there. They are vape pens and cartridges and blunts. The biggest advantage of Delta 8 THC smokables is that their effects start really quickly. You take one or two hits, and you’ll feel the high almost instantly. There’s no need to wait for anything to digest or enter your system. Once you inhale, it’s in there. The downside is that the effects don’t last very long. You generally have to take hits every now and then to keep the feeling.

Edibles

These are some of the most popular kinds of Delta 8 THC products out there. Edibles are any food or drink that has been made with D8 extract, so it’s not too hard to see why. They taste like whatever treat they are made to be and are easy to dose. Moreover, there is a wide variety of edibles to choose from. There are sweet snacks like gummies and savory treats like that you can buy that have D8 in it. Another thing that people love about edibles is that the high lasts longer with them. However, there is a trade-off. The high may last longer, but it also takes longer to start working. This can make it easy to take a bit too much Delta 8 THC. If you aren’t patient enough, you may think that you aren’t getting any effects from the D8 and that you need to take more. But it’s best to wait at least an hour before you take any more of a Delta 8 THC edible so that the edible has time to digest properly.

Topicals

This is a bit more of an unusual D8 product. This category of product includes lotions, balms, salves, creams, and basically that you use on the surface of your skin. These products aren’t going to give you the same effect as the ones that you take internally. The Delta 8 THC doesn’t enter your bloodstream, so it can’t get you high. However, there is a chance that they could still provide the pain-relieving effects that we mentioned earlier (this is why Delta 9 THC topicals exist as well).

Picking the right D8 product for you may seem kind of daunting at first, but hopefully, this article has helped you narrow down the options a bit. Once you pick a category of product that suits your needs, the rest is much easier. There is a chance that you’re caught between a couple of categories. That’s okay. That just means that you may have to try a few to figure out which you like the best!

Speaking of giving some D8 a try, are you ready to do that? We’ve got a bunch of Delta 8 THC products for you to try here on the DharmaD8 site. You can check out our high-quality, hemp-derived products on our shop page here. There is something for just about everyone (who lives in a state that we ship to and is over 21)!

We have delicious edibles, such as Delta 8 gummies, and a versatile, water-soluble tincture to help you make your own edible. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, you can get hold of a member of the DharmaD8 team through our contact page here. We would love to hear from you, so don’t hesitate to reach out! We’ll be more than happy to help you out with whatever you need. Click here to learn more about Delta 8 CBD.