What kind of feeling does Delta 8 THC give you?

When you first look into a new product you want to try, it’s always smart to know exactly how it will affect you. Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 8 THC or D8) is no exception to this. You’ll want to know exactly how this new compound makes you feel. Since we here at DharmaD8 want to make sure that you feel comfortable with our products, we thought we would go over what kind of effects you can expect from Delta 8 THC. So, let’s get started.

The basics of Delta 8 THC

To fully grasp how D8 is going to affect you and make you feel, you need to know what it is and how it works. In light of this, we are going to go over some basics together.

Firstly, you may be wondering what exactly D8 is? Delta 8 THC is what’s known as a cannabinoid. This is a kind of chemical compound that is only found in cannabis plants, especially hemp. These compounds are unlike just about any other. This is because they are able to interact with a series of receptors that are found in the human body. These receptors are part of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The function of this system is to help you regulate different responses in the body. In this way, cannabinoids like D8 are able to have a significant impact on the way people feel.

You may already be familiar with, or at least have heard of,  delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta 9 THC, sometimes known as simply THC). As you can see, it has a very similar name to Delta 8 THC and has very similar names, and can sometimes be confused. However, they have enough varied properties to be considered two different cannabinoids. In a little while, we will take a closer look at what makes these two cannabinoids distinct from each other. For now, it’s just good for you to know that D8 is similar to Delta 9 THC.

You may be aware that Delta 9 THC has gained a reputation over the last few years, and is illegal in many places. So, how does Delta 8 THC fit into that? Is it also illegal? The simple answer is, not really. In fact, D8 is much more likely to be legal wherever you live, than Delta 9 THC. This is due to the Farm Bill, a law that regulates what can and cannot be grown and sold in the United States. Every five years, this law is reviewed and updated. 

The latest review took place in 2018. This version of the bill federally legalized industrial hemp and the cannabinoid found in it. This included D8. As a result, Delta 8 THC is legal in most states. However, federal legalization gives states the opportunity to decide whether or not to legalize something. So, there are some states that have chosen not to legalize this cannabinoid. It’s a good idea to become more familiar with your local laws on cannabis to make sure it’s legal where you live, before purchasing any products.

The feeling of Delta 8 THC

There is one main effect everyone is interested in when it comes to Delta 8 THC. That would be a feeling of euphoria, also known as a high. As you may have already surmised, Delta 9 THC is the main cannabinoid that gets the credit for creating a high. But does D8 create one too?

To help you comprehend this we'll start by explaining how Delta 9 THC creates a high. When Delta 9 THC is exposed to the ECS, it doesn’t just interact with it, it binds with the receptors tightly. This is what causes the intoxication that we all know. If you look at this diagram of Delta 8 THC and this one of Delta 9 THC, you can see that they are built similarly (as we mentioned earlier), but there is one small difference. They each have a double bond that’s in a different spot. 

One thing to remember about chemical compounds is that their structure determines how they function. The differences in the way that Delta 9 THC and D8 are built mean that they are going to function in unique ways. Delta 8, although it bonds with the ECS receptors more tightly than most other cannabinoids, it still doesn’t bind as tightly as Delta 9. As a result, it also creates a high, albeit a slightly different one.  

To start off with, we’ll talk about the general overview of what this high is described as. For the most part, people say that it is a more bodily and less intense high than Delta 9 THC. To get a more personal idea, take a look at this article from Leafly. The writer, Dante Jordan, is well experienced with Delta 9 THC, this being his first time giving Delta 8 THC a try. He understandably did not expect too much but was pleasantly surprised. Jordan reported that he felt a pleasant, focused high. He said that it relaxed him and helped him work his way through a pile of work that he had been putting off for a little while.

While this is a good idea of the sensation that D8 gives you, it is just one person’s experience. In all reality, cannabinoids affect everyone a little differently, especially Delta 8 THC. This means that your experience may not be exactly the same as Jordan’s. It’s likely to be pretty similar, but you might have some differences in how you feel. It may also take more or less D8 than Jordan took for you to feel any effects. This is all due to the fact that everyone’s body chemistry is different. So, the main way to know how Delta 8 THC’s high will feel for you is to try it for yourself.

Other effects of Delta 8 THC

While the feeling of euphoria is D8’s most famous effect, there are still many others that we are starting to learn increasingly more about. So, let’s talk about some of the other ways that Delta 8 THC could make you feel.

Anti-inflammation

One of the biggest areas of study for most cannabinoids, especially THC, is their effect on inflammation and pain. You may have heard of the promise that Delta 9 THC holds for pain and inflammation relief. But how does that translate into D8? Pretty well as it turns out. There have been quite a few studies lately that have found that Delta 8 THC could help with pain and inflammation just about as much as Delta 9 THC. For example, this study found that D8 was able to help reduce pain and inflammation in the corneas of mice. Another study found that Delta 8 THC helped reduce opioid dependence in mice. Both of these studies suggest that D8 could be a potential alternative to opioids.

Anti-anxiety

Another area researchers have become increasingly interested in, is how Delta 8 THC could potentially help with mental health. More specifically, how it could help with anxiety. The reason why they think that D8 could help with anxiety is that it can interact with the ECS. As we mentioned above, there are a lot of different functions your body controls through the ECS. 

One of these functions is the way that we process fear and anxiety. This on its own means that Delta 8 THC could affect anxiety. Researchers have recently found that the ECS receptor called CB1 is particularly involved in how we process anxiety. This happens to be the ECS receptor that D8 interacts with the most. So, this means that the chances of Delta 8 THC helping with anxiety are even greater.

Asthma reduction

This is one area of study that is rather new, but particularly exciting. Asthma is a condition that can be very difficult to deal with. It tends to have unexpected triggers, resulting in people with asthma having to carry around inhalers all the time. If there is something that could help people breathe more easily, it would help a larger number of people. Recent research has found that Delta 8 THC could be a good bronchodilator. This means that it may be able to help the lungs expand more easily, allowing them to let more air in. As mentioned, this research is still fairly new, and we’re trying to learn more about it. Even though nothing has been set in stone yet, it is nonetheless very encouraging.

The list above is only a few of the effects that D8 THC can have on you. As we touched on earlier, everyone will experience the effects in their own way, due to a number of factors, such as; quantity; method of intake; as well as individual biology. You may have a similar experience to someone else, or it may be completely different. The only way to truly know how your body is going to react is by trying some for yourself.

What makes a good Delta 8 THC company

Now that you know the different sensations created by D8, it’s time to think about where to look for a good Delta 8 THC product. After all, with the recent emergence of the industry, it can be hard to identify the signs of a good D8 product. We are here to help.

Testing

The number one sign of a good Delta 8 THC product, and/or company, is easy to access information about testing. It’s important for D8 products to be properly tested for quality, cannabinoid content, and the presence of other compounds. If a company has all of that information at your fingertips then you know that they are confident in their products and have nothing to hide. 

For example, here on the DharmaD8 site, we have a page dedicated to our testing, along with information about each individual product on their relevant pages. If a Delta 8 THC company doesn’t have that information available, it’s a good idea to look elsewhere. It could mean a number of things from them hiding their testing for some reason to them not testing their products at all, neither of which is an ideal situation.

Reviews

Moreover, as with any product, you should be reading reviews of both it and the company. Reviews are a great way to gauge whether or not a product and/or company is worth your time and money. Most companies have review sections for their products on their sites, but there are also third-party sites that you can take a look at. These third-party sites are great because there is less likely to be biased in the reviews, making them much more honest. It’s good practice to read quite a few reviews so that you can get a general idea of what to expect from each company.

Price

Since D8 hit the market, the pricing, for the most part,  has been up in the air. Retailers are still trying to fully understand how to price their Delta 8 THC products. As a result, it’s not uncommon to see some extremes. Some companies are trying to cash in on the newfound interest in these kinds of products, and charge exorbitantly high prices for them. However, these products, although so highly priced, are not necessarily of the best quality (this is where reviews can come in handy). Contrastingly, other companies will charge almost nothing, which could be a sign of a low-quality product. At the moment, your best bet is to choose a midrange-priced product (like DharmaD8’s products).

Finally, as stated before, the only way to truly know how D8 is going to affect you is by trying it for yourself. Some people experience relief from pain or anxiety. Others just feel more focused and relaxed. It tends to vary. So, if you want to try Delta 8 THC why not try some of DharmaD8’s. We have a wide range of high-quality Delta 8 products, such as Delta 8 gummies. Each is carefully crafted and tested to make sure that you’re getting the best D8 experience possible. Check out our shop page to see what we have to offer!