I'm sure by now we've all seen the embarrassing CBD Store flags that say THC SOLD HERE.

If you have been brave enough to venture inside and inquire about what THC they could be selling, you will have heard the words "Delta-8, Delta-9, Delta-10, maybe even Delta-11" and you might be really confused because you didn't know CBD was that kind of girl!

Well, never fear, the gals at Juicy Hemp Co are here to explain!

So, Hemp (where CBD products come from) and Marijuana (where products only sold in states like Colorado and California come from) are kind of like sister plants. Hemp contains more CBD (anti-inflammatory, more therapeutic) than THC (psychoactive, heightens senses).

Marijuana contains more THC than CBD. Hemp derived products still contain THC, just smaller amounts by mass. This is why you see the statement contains less than 0.3% THC  on your CBD gummies. 

Now onto this Delta business. The full chemical name for THC tetrahydrocannabinol. The delta-9 means that the THC molecule has a double bond on the 9th carbon. Delta-8 on the other hand, is a THC molecule with the double bond on the 8th carbon. 

That is literally it. Both molecules have different effects on the body, but are both a THC molecule at the end of the day. For example, the high you get from delta-8 THC is a little smoother and less potent than that of delta-9. 

People working in the Hemp industry realized they could take the THC found in the hemp plant and realized they could make Delta-8 THC through a process called isomerization. Isomerization is a process where in a lab, you can take one molecule and transform it into another molecule with a different chemical formula.

This what we like to call a classic loophole. Scientists were like "Okay, government, I hear you don't like Delta-9 THC that comes from Marijuana. BUT, you never said anything about Delta-8 THC that comes from the Hemp plant!" Since Hemp was declared federally legal in 2018, the government was like "DAMMIT! Yeah I guess we can't really say anything, but we're keeping a close eye on you hoodlums."

As mentioned earlier, delta-8 and delta-9 are isomers of each other and have very similar effects. This means a scientist took Delta-9 THC and transformed it into Delta-8 THC, or vice versa. Other types of Hemp derived products you are seeing now (Delta-9 from Hemp, Delta-10, Delta-69 ;) hehe) are using the same process of isomerization.

Unless you studied Organic Chemistry, the idea of isomers may be a foreign idea to you. Here is an easy way to think about this idea:

Let's say that you and I are going to have a sleepover at my house (yay!) and I task you with buying the ingredients for dinner. 

So you head to the store and buy the ingredients for fresh pizza dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperonis. You call me after you have already purchased everything to tell me 'Za is on the menu and unfortunately, I have to stop you!

Me: "So my parents HATE pizza, they don't allow it in the house. Idk they're weird, they just ban all circular shaped foods!"

Now, you don't want to waste all the money you just spend on ingredients, so you decide to cut the pizza dough into squares, add the cheese and meat to the inside, and fold them up like pizza rolls. TECHNICALLY, this is not a pizza, and it does not invoke my parents' fear of circular foods, so we are able to eat it. In this case, Delta-9 THC is the circular pizza and Delta-8 THC is the pizza roll. This is why here in Texas, people can legally sell Hemp-derived THC products. It is not the THC itself that is illegal, but the particular Delta-9 Molecule derived from the Marijuana plant.

 This is basically what isomers are, two things that have the same ingredients but different structure. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram @juicyhempco

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<3 Evey and Tara