What you should know about Delta-8 and other drugs commonly available in vape shops | News

They're sold at gas stations, vape shops, online and other stores across the country in seemingly countless tempting forms: gummy bears, candy bars, chips. Their packaging boasts claims like delta-8 THC, micro and macro doses of “psychedelics” and “nootropics.”

These substances are often sold through legal loopholes, despite concerns about potential health risks and a lack of oversight over their production. And since there are no federal regulations, many states have banned or are attempting to ban Delta-8 THC.

Legal but poorly regulated drugs are readily available, but experts say there are still many uncertainties. Here's what you should know.

How are these substances legal?

Because drug laws are often limited to specific substances, federal and state regulators are constantly on the hunt for the latest chemical concoctions.

Delta-8-THC gained enormous popularity under the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, better known as the Farm Bill. Under this law, hemp products and the cannabinoids derived from them were classified as distinct from marijuana.

Delta-8 has only a slight chemical change from the psychoactive delta-9 compound found in marijuana, but can still produce a high.

It remains a legally murky area, with restrictions that vary from state to state, says Robert Mikos, an expert on marijuana policy and law at Vanderbilt University. Substances such as cannabinoids can also easily be transformed into new but similar versions of drugs that could then be subject to scrutiny.

“There have been all sorts of things that have gained popularity over time,” he said. “And government enforcement is always one step behind what the chemists can come up with.”

But if it's on the store shelf, it's safe, right?

Not necessarily.

Because manufacturing processes are not closely monitored and there are no uniform labeling regulations, it is difficult to determine exactly what is contained in a particular product.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began investigating illnesses caused by recalled Diamond Shruumz products. In addition to muscimol, a legal psychoactive ingredient derived from the fly agaric, the products also contained other unlisted ingredients, including the controlled substance psilocin.

It's difficult to get even basic information about the drug's effectiveness in many of these products, says Dr. Ginger Nicol, who heads the psychedelics research program at Washington University in St. Louis.

And the concern isn't just limited to the drugs themselves: It also extends to other things that could be introduced during the manufacturing process, says Dr. Igor Grant, director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego.

He pointed out that CBD is used to produce Delta-8.

The chemical process used to create delta-8 involves strong acids, among other things, Grant says, and if some of these trace chemicals remain, they can pose additional risks on top of the health risks posed by delta-8 itself.

“If this were done according to Food and Drug Administration standards, where there are strict regulations about purity and the like, it would probably be OK,” he said. “But that's not how it's made.”

What should you do?

Nicol advises people to talk to their doctor before taking anything, especially if it is an unregulated drug.

This is partly because there is no thorough research being done to better understand the effects, side effects and safety of the drugs. But it is also partly because there is so little oversight.

“You can get a bad batch,” she said. “Nobody necessarily tests it for purity or contamination.”