Find medical cannabis so cheap at a dispensary that you’re a bit excited? Before you come to the conclusion that you’ve found an awesome deal, be sure to take a close look at the flower you’re buying.
While you can definitely find some good deals for high-quality medical cannabis, anything priced substantially below normal may not be what it appears. In fact, some you find may not be authentic medical cannabis but hemp with delta 8 THC. Not to mention, sometimes “cheap” medical cannabis may be expired or low-quality.
What is delta 8 vs delta 9? How do you recognize low-quality medical cannabis? Find out below
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Delta 9 vs Delta 8 THC: A Breakdown
Delta 8 THC and delta 9 THC are both cannabinoids found naturally in any plant from the medical cannabis family, including high-THC medical cannabis and high-CBD hemp. Both cannabinoids are psychoactive. However, the natural levels of delta 8 THC in medical cannabis is minuscule. Nevertheless, you can find flower labeled as “high delta 8 THC” outside of dispensaries, which can be really confusing. Find out more about the differences between delta 8 vs delta 9 below.
Plant Source
As mentioned above, delta 8 and delta 9 can be found in any type of medical cannabis, including hemp. However, delta 8 THC is most often associated with hemp. The reason is that delta-8 THC is an attempt to skirt the federal requirements that hemp cannot contain more than 0.3 percent delta 9 THC. To make hemp and hemp products psychoactive, hemp and hemp product producers take advantage of the loophole and utilize delta 8 THC.
Chemical Makeup
On a molecular level, delta 8 and delta 9 THC have an almost identical structure. This can be used to explain the similarities in terms of psychoactive effects, because the molecules can be processed the same by the body. However, commercial delta-8 flower or products do not contain a natural form of the cannabinoid. Delta-8 is created by chemically altering cannabidiol (CBD) using chemicals and other processes. Unfortunately, this can make delta-8 products highly unreliable when it comes to purity.
Reliability
The delta-8 hemp market has grown to be large because there are so many people looking for an alternative to authentic medical cannabis with psychoactive and even therapeutic properties. However, this market is unregulated, the testing protocols are minimal, and some products are highly unreliable. In one study, 49 of 53 labels contained incorrect THC content information. In other words, it is difficult to know what you are getting or how potent it will be if you find something like cheap delta-8 flower. This flower is created by adding the synthesized delta-8 to the hemp flower to make it psychoactive.
The Delta-8 vs Delta 9 High and Effects
Delta-8 and delta-9 can have similar effects. Both can cause psychoactive symptoms, and delta 8 may even have therapeutic effects that target pain or lack of sleep. Some studies indicate that eta 8 is about half as potent as delta 9. However, it is important to note that the effects of delta 8 flower or products can be unreliable due to how these products are created.
Other Signs of Low-Quality Medical Cannabis
Beyond issues with misrepresentation of delta 8 hemp, some dispensaries offer medical cannabis that should be pulled due to low-quality. For example, medical cannabis flower, like any natural plant, has a limited shelf life, usually about six months when properly cured and stored. This is why medical cannabis products often have a sell-by or use-by date. As medical cannabis ages, THC oxidizes and terpenes begin to evaporate. The end result is flower that isn’t just low on flavor, but also lacking potency and potentially harboring microbial compounds like mold.
A few signs of low-quality medical cannabis to watch for include:
- Brittle dryness
- A lack of fragrant aromatics
- Dark, spongy spots
- Spotty dust that appears gray, white, or black
- An unusual musty smell
- No clear expiration date given
Shop for Trustworthy Medical Cannabis at Guaranteed Dispensary
When you use medical cannabis for therapeutic reasons, quality is exceptionally important. Therefore, be sure you always rely on a qualified, trustworthy medical medical cannabis dispensary for your purchases. At Guaranteed Dispensary, all medical cannabis flower on our menu is from a trusted medical cannabis cultivator and undergoes our own stringent quality standards. Be sure to explore our full menu, and feel free to ask questions if you are concerned about the medical cannabis you have purchased elsewhere.
