Delta-8

To report concerns about a retailer who sells snacks containing hemp-derived products, contact:

• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Hillsborough County Code Enforcement, Regulatory Compliance
• - Report online or email RegComp@HCFLGov.net

  Photo Information: A properly labeled hemp-derived food product that complies with tightened regulations on snacks that contain THC, such as delta 8.

Panel begins at 17 minutes; Public Comment at 1:33:00

When teenagers smoked marijuana back in 1995, the amount of THC, or active ingredient in the drug, was about 4%. But times have changed. With new methods of testing, growing, and regulating marijuana, teens now have access to cannabis with increasingly higher levels of THC. One study found that in 2017 the average potency of marijuana had increased to 17%. This increased potency, plus easier access to many forms of marijuana in recent years, has some dedicated healthcare professionals working to address the possible mental health effects marijuana use may be having on young users, including the risk for psychosis.

“These products have not been deemed safe by any Nebraska or regulatory body,” he said. “In fact, even states where marijuana is legalized outlaw synthetically produced THCs, including delta-8, or place significant limits on their use.”
Consuming as little as 2.5 milligrams of a THC-containing gummy can “exceed the toxicity threshold” for a 3-year-old child and send that child to the hospital, the lawsuits say.

Conclusions: Our study provides evidence for the association between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and suicide risk among hospitalized adolescents and underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing co-occurring mental and substance use disorders along with CUD to mitigate suicide risk. Identifying high-risk adolescents in inpatient settings provides an opportunity for intervention.

A total of eight children ranging from 6 to 8 years of age consumed the gummies. Six of the children were transported to Broward Health and Florida Medical Center, according to Lauderhill Fire Rescue officials.
CALLS TO POISON CENTERS FOR ADHD MEDICATION ERRORS HAVE RISEN 300% SINCE 2000, STUDY FINDS

The language in farm bill has been interpreted to mean that any hemp-derived product with less than 0.3% THC in its final form is legal. Make a 70-gram brownie out of hemp containing just under 0.3% THC, and you get 21 times more THC than you can get in California’s regulated cannabis market. 
Furthermore, with some chemistry, innovative hemp manufacturers can create an alphabet soup of chemically synthesized cannabinoids that can get you high, like delta-8 THC, THC-P, and THC-O. The Drug Enforcement Administration has pushed back and classified two such compounds as dangerous Schedule I substances. Still, the regulations on synthetic cannabinoids made from compounds that naturally occur in hemp remain overwhelmingly unenforced.    

The bill that Robinson and Burton sponsored during the 2023 session originally would have limited the amount of THC (the main psychoactive compound in cannabis) in hemp products, but it faced a fierce pushback from members from the hemp industry as well as regular Floridians who say they rely on the product to deal with physical pain.
For example, in the House, the bill set THC limits not to exceed 5 milligrams per serving or 50 milligrams per package and prohibit those products to anyone under the age of 21. Ultimately, the bill sponsors removed the provision that would limit the THC amounts.
“We just ran out of time,” Robinson told the Phoenix on Wednesday. “We had to get it through the final committee hearing [and] we had 80 percent of the bill that everyone ...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the results of “Operation Kandy Krush,” the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ largest ever inspection sweep of food establishments selling products that contain hemp extracts. The week-long statewide inspection sweep targeted the illegal sale of hemp extract products that are attractive and/or marketed to children, prohibited by Florida Law. The sweep included inspections of more 475 food establishments in 37 Florida counties and uncovered 68,689 packages of hemp extract products — including euphoric, high-potency THC products — targeting children.

Powerpoint presentation with excellent ideas to help motivate and engage your community to help educate everyone on any issue specifically drug prevention.

DeLoach said a 12-year-old female student reportedly was passing out and exhibiting symptoms of an overdose. The principal told deputies the child might have taken THC gummies along with three other students who may have eaten some as well.

Dr. Roneet Lev- Years ago, she advocated against the overprescription of opioid painkillers like OxyContin. Now, she believes she’s seeing the same thing all over again: the specious claims of medical benefits, the denial of adverse effects. “From Big Tobacco to Big Pharma to Big Marijuana—it’s the same people, and the same pattern.”
Today, teenagers are “dabbing” a product that’s three, four, or five times stronger, (than 30 years ago) and are often doing so multiple times a day. At that level of potency, the impact of the drug on a user’s brain belongs to an entirely different category of risk than smoking a joint or taking a bong rip of even an intensively bred marijuana flower. It’s highly addictive, and over time, there’s a significant chance it can drive you insane.

"There is a gray area in state statue when it comes to these products. It's basically not being regulated," Johnson said at the Village Board meeting. "We are going to regulate it."

That provision reflects the state government’s position that consumer safety should override all other concerns in establishing laws to guide the hemp sector, sponsoring lawmakers said earlier.

A Virginia boy’s death last year was attributed to over-ingestion of delta-8 THC from eating gummies, leading to felony murder and felony child neglect charges against his mother. The death was officially ruled an accident attributable to “delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol toxicity” by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Central District of Virginia, although some cannabis experts have cast doubt on that conclusion.

Key findings from the RDCOS March ‘23 issuance on novel and alternative cannabinoids include:

• There is significantly greater Delta-8 consumption in states where cannabis remains illegal than in states with adult-use cannabis markets.
• Past month consumption of Delta-8, Delta-8 THCO, Delta-10, THCP, THCV, CBN, and HHC each are associated with a greater prevalence of driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) and the severity of problematic cannabis use.
• Delta-8 consumption by past-year cannabis consumers has increased by 10% since December 2022.
• THCV, a cannabinoid commonly branded as “diet weed,” is the most popular alternative cannabinoid among past-year cannabis consumers.
• A total of 23% of 16–20-year-olds who consumed cannabis in the past year reported consuming Delta-8 at least monthly.

"I'm very concerned about seeing something called respiratory depression in children, where they're not breathing as well," she said. "Another thing that can be potentially deadly is they become so sleepy that they're not protecting their airway so they won't be able to breathe properly."

She said delta-8 can be 'incredibly dangerous' because it isn't regulated in Tennessee. 

"A gummy can say it's 50 milligrams, but it could be way more than that," she said. "It could be less, but the concerning thing is what if it's way more than that?" 

Article from pro-marijuana:
The issue is legislation in Florida that would limit how much THC such products are allowed to contain. Everyone, of course, is not going out of business, though Boyce’s company is at risk. The hemp industry will live on. Boyce’s note blamed the proposed legislation on “certain politicians” who are “heavily invested in the medical marijuana industry.”

This kind of thing is why licensed cannabis companies in legal states are increasingly disgusted by gray-market alt-THC peddlers. It’s not just the competition they face (after all, the hemp-derived products are aimed mostly at people in states where cannabis is still illegal). It’s also that fly-by-night operators tend to make the whole industry look bad, whether they’re selling iffy THC products or CBD gummies and oils that haven’t been tested and in some cases contain little or no CBD.

One relatively simple act could solve all these problems in one fell swoop: legalizing cannabis at the federal level.

Introduction: Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a known isomer of delta-9-THC, both found naturally in the Cannabis sativa plant and thought to have similar potency. Delta-8-THC products are widely accessible in retail shops which may lead to a rise in pediatric exposures with substantial clinical effects.

An ongoing investigation by the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy and U.S. Food and Drug Administration is examining complaints about the company's "Death by Gummy Bears" edibles, including a report that suggests at least one person died after consuming the products, according to the pharmaceutical board. The FDA has not determined whether adverse reactions reported by consumers were caused by the "Death by Gummy Bears" edibles, but notes on its website that products containing delta-8 THC, like these gummies, "have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA for safe use in any context."

The notion of legalizing intoxicating cannabinoids simply because they are derived or synthesized from hemp is ludicrous. A comparable scenario would be deregulating wine on the grounds that it derives from grape juice. An intoxicant is an intoxicant. Both common sense and public safety dictate that these substances must be handled with care. The proliferation of untested and unregulated synthetic and semi-synthetic intoxicating cannabinoids is a public health disaster. Action must be taken immediately to protect public safety. Specifically (see article)

Keep in mind that THC is a potent compound – a dose is typically measured in milligrams (thousandths of a gram), not grams. In the regulated California cannabis market, a single serving of an infused edible is capped at 10mg of THC per serving (and 100mg per package). If, as loosely interpreted, the Farm Bill allows for 0.3 percent THC in the final product and there is no cap on THC per package for “hemp-derived” products, here’s how much “hempderived” THC you could see in a single infused gummy, cookie, brownie, or 12-ounce beverage: PRODUCT TYPE 2 GUMMIES 1 COOKIE 1 BROWNIE 1 BEVERAGE UNIT WEIGHT (GRAMS) 5.8g 16g 70g 340g 0.3% THC (MILLIGRAMS) 17.4mg 48mg 210mg 1020mg Those are astonishingly high doses and mean we could have unregulated, hemp-infused edibles and beverages with up to 100 times the THC allowed in the regulated California cannabis market.

The potency is high often 120 mg which is extremely hight!

Delta-8 Products are often made with 120mg of THC. 

Below is the potency of smoking methods.  However, edibles are often 5 TIMES STRONGER.

The company, Hemp Boms, is a Tampa based compay. Is this what we want Tampa to be known for?  Delta-8 is extremely harmful. It is being advertised as a hemp product and is not regulated.  
READ THE INFORMATION BELOW: 
TAMPA, Fla., June 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemp Bombs, the manufacturer and distributor of award-winning CBD, Delta-8 THC and Delta-9 THC Gummies, announces its newest line of gummies, Hemp Bombs High Potency Delta-8 THC Gummies.
There should be a red label with large letters WARNING.  Not how many should I eat!!!
"How many Delta 9 Gummies should I eat?   If it’s your first time trying Delta 9 gummies, we recommend starting with one-half or one whole gummy. This serving size should allow you to become accustomed to Delta 9’s effects. You can increase or decrease how many gummies you take once you’re familiar with the results. "
 

Delta-8 products are marketed as though it was candy, cereal, or vitamins sold in child/family friendly packaging.  
Ellen Snelling, a board member of the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance, has been wanting commissioners to act.
"It’s completely unregulated, fruit flavors, gummy bears. Bright colors attracted to children all allowed in the state of Florida. If this was laying on your dining room table a child would eat the entire package," she told commissioners at a previous meeting.  

After dinner one night, she says her family stopped for a treat at Groovy Smoothie in Tarpon Springs. According to their Facebook page, the store sells items such as fruit bowls, juices and smoothies with the choice of being infused with cannabis.
Villarreal claims an employee offered to make them a smoothie without cannabis in it that was safe for children to consume.
“I told her I thought it was just a smoothie store. She said, ‘No, no, it’s okay. I can still make a smoothie for the kids,” Villarreal said.
Meanwhile, her 3-year-old son asked for a cake pop from a refrigerator that was labeled as a “kid-friendly cake pop.”
“Ten minutes later, it triggered him,” Villarreal said. “He fell asleep on the car ride home, and we put him to bed. When he woke up, he was screaming and crying.”
That’s when she rushed her son to Advent Health North Pinellas Hospital. The diagnosis was accidental marijuana overdose.

WHAT STATES HAVE BANNED DELTA-8? Delta-8 is currently outright banned or restricted in the following states:  AK AZ AR CO CT DE KY ID IA MS MT NY ND RI UT VT WA For sale at corner stores, grocery stores, vape shops, and online NO warning labels on packages NO federal or state laws setting a minimum age to purchase NO FDA Regulations so there is no way of knowing what you are purchasing I

Hundreds of reports to the National Poison Data System have been linked to insufficiently labeled products containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration are urging consumers to keep the products out of reach of children and pets.
In the first seven months of 2021, the National Poison Data System received 660 reports of adverse events in people exposed to delta-8 THC. About 41% of reports involved unintentional exposure, and 77% of the unintentional exposures were in children under 18 years. Some of the children who were exposed to products with delta-8 THC were admitted to intensive care units.

"What we're seeing here today is not the end result but the next step in the way to stone America," Sheriff Judd said. "I'm worried about the health of your loved one that drives on the same highway with a person that takes enough of this low Delta 8 to get stoned. So it's not going to be safe."