Why We Only Use Delta-9 THC (and not D8)

Our Green Monké D9 drinks have been available in Florida since November, with our listings in liquor stores, gourmet grocers, and restaurants and bars doubling almost per month. The entire hemp-derivative business in Florida is exploding so much that it seems like it is also doubling each month!

In this context, there is an interesting debate occurring in the Florida State Government regarding the State regulation of hemp-derived products. On March 6, the Legislature passed SB 1698 that regulates hemp-derived products and BANS Delta-8 products. This Bill still requires Governor DeSantis’ signature before becoming effective.

As a low dosage drink, we welcome the regulation set out in the Bill and think it is a step in the right direction of regulating the current Wild West state of the hemp derivative industry. We believe that such regulation will only increase customer confidence in our industry and will remove bad actors who are taking dangerous short cuts in the manufacture of products that are substandard.

Even if effective, the D-8 ban will not affect our products as we do not use D-8 and only use naturally occurring, hemp-derived Delta-9. The main reason that we only use Delta-9 THC in our drinks is: customer demand and their knowledge. During our early market research, we continually heard negative comments about Delta-8 like “Delta-8 is too weak”, “we want D9 - the Real Thing”, and even “sometimes D8 makes me sick”. While it could be fun (and funny) to write a blog post dumping on Delta-8, the rest of this post sets out the main differences between the two hemp-derived cannabinoids.

Chemical Structure:

Delta-8 THC and Delta-9 THC are both cannabinoids, chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant. The primary difference lies in their molecular structure. Delta-8 THC has a double bond on the 8th carbon chain, while Delta-9 THC has a double bond on the 9th carbon chain. This subtle variance in structure leads to differences in how they interact with the body's endocannabinoid system.

Psychoactive Effects:

Delta-9 THC is renowned for its psychoactive properties, often associated with the "high" experienced when consuming cannabis. Delta-8 THC also exhibits psychoactive effects, but they are typically milder compared to Delta-9 THC. Consumers often describe the experience as more subtle and clear-headed, with less pronounced intoxication.

Presence in Nature:

As we have outlined in prior posts, under U.S. law, a hemp plant is distinguished from a cannabis plant based on the amount of Delta-9 THC present in the plant. Implicit in this legal definition is the understanding that Delta-9 THC naturally occurs in both hemp and cannabis plants. In contrast, only small quantities of Delta-8 occur in either hemp or cannabis plants. As a consequence, most of the Delta-8 being sold is synthetic – it is created in a lab and, most often, is derived chemically from CBD. The chemical process required to produce commercial quantities of Delta-8 is beyond this blog post (and beyond our understanding), but suffice to say one of the reasons why the Florida Government is looking to ban Delta-8 products is because the necessary chemical process can sometimes include dangerous reactants and “chemists” with less-than-stellar working conditions.  

Customers Know!

Fortunately for Green Monké, at our early formulation and market research stages, our customers knew what they wanted and essentially made our decision for us – Delta-9 THC was the way to go! Now that we see Florida (and other jurisdictions) proposing Delta-8 bans, we are even more thankful and appreciative to have such knowledgeable and prescient customers! Too thick?