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Yes, it is true that the Canadian illicit market for cannabis is being overtaken by the legal channels by which to obtain cannabis. In addition to the reasons given above for this trend are the fact that there is better product selection, and also decreasing prices of cannabis, in the legal market.
For example, Statistics Canada estimated that illicit-market spending on cannabis use by adults peaked at about 1.5 billion Canadian dollars at the end of 2013. Current cannabis bought in the illegal market is about half of that amount.
Medical sales of cannabis, in contrast, continue to trend downward. This spending is recorded separately by Statistics Canada. In all of 2020, the spending by Canada on medical cannabis totaled 587 million Canadian dollars. The trend toward gravitating to recreational cannabis bears watching.
Another aspect of cannabis, and also Delta-8 THC, is that it took the federal U.S. government more than two years to finally legalize rules and regulations for the cultivation of hemp. This was after the Farm Bill 2018 passage. Even though CBD has been on store shelves since then, the FDA still hasn\’t determined or finalized its legality.
Despite this lack of definitiveness and clarity, the cannabis industry has continued to forge ahead. Today, despite this lack of legal definition, hemp companies striving for innovation have moved from CBD to Delta-8 THC. This hemp product has legal ambiguity as well, and is a hemp-derived compound that is mildly psychoactive. As of now, it is not known whether or not it is here to stay, legally speaking.
The federal government will decide the fate of Delta-8, and this is currently determined on a statewide basis. As has been discussed many times, Delta-8 is one of many compounds found in the hemp and cannabis plants. In the small doses that are extracted, processors can\’t obtain it directly from the hemp plant. They must convert other cannabinoids, such as CBD derived from hemp, into Delta-8 THC using solvent based methods of synthesis. Similar to other cannabis compounds, Delta-8 THC interacts with the body\’s endocannabinoid system to produce its psychoactive and therapeutic effects. Its relative, Delta-9 THC, binds to the CB1 receptors in the brain, which means that it has more of a psychoactive effect, while Delta-8 THC is more chemically similar to CBD, and therefore, it attached to both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, which produces both physical and mental feelings of well being. It produces less of a strictly cerebral effect, and more of a feeling of a balanced bodily feeling.
In Brevard County, in Florida, Delta-8 THC is gaining in popularity in that it is new inthe cannabis industry. It is derived from hemp, but doesn\’t contain more than the legal level of THC that its chemical cousin, Delta-9 THC, contains. It gives users a mild sensation of a euphoric feeling.
In recent years, CBD products derived from hemp have become popular for pain and anxiety management, and Delta-8 is gaining momentum in the cannabis industry. A shop in Cape Canaveral, Florida, recently began selling it, and it has been flying off of the shelves ever since. Customers are grateful for it, and have thanked the owners.
A company in North Carolina ships it to stores around the country, and this states\’ own residents can obtain it, even while cannabis is not legal there, for either medicinal or recreational use. The business for Delta-8 has increased very much since the beginning of this year, as more people learn more about it, and about how it can help. An attorney for the hemp industry thinks that it will remain as status quo by the federal government for now, and that the test will come at the state level.
Regarding the legality of Delta-8 THC, there are loopholes in the current states of THC. The 2018 Farm Bill Passage didn\’t have the intention of legalizing a psychoactive compound, but the bill never specifically referred to Delta-8. There is a fair amount of disagreement among advocates for hemp regarding the legal status of Delta-8, and what this means for the cannabis industry overall.
Suddenly, Delta-8 THC can be found in many places, similar to the surge of CBD a couple of years ago. It can be bought from upscale boutiques to truck rest stops. On April 13, 2021, the Chicago Sun Times wrote that an increasing number of Chicago cannabis businesses are taking advantage of a loophole in the federal law, that allowed for the sale of the trendy hemp product known as Delta-8 THC. It has been nicknamed or referred to as a diet cannabis or cannabis lite. Retailers throughout Chicago have started selling an array of Delta-8 products, in places that resembled cannabis dispensaries, which are licensed. The delta-8 products aren\’t subject to the same strict regulations as medical CBD. Many products such as cape cartridges to edibles are being sold, as well as smokable hemp flower which is sprayed with Delta-8 extract. Many people are wondering if Delta-8 will become the newest trend, or a dead end for the hemp industry.
A coffee shop in the Lake View district of Chicago seized the opportunity to sell Delta-8 after the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, and the sale and distribution of hemp and its derivatives became legal. The law notably excluded the more potent hemp byproduct of Delta-9 THC, but there was no mention of Delta-8, which is milder. However, Delta-8 products were seized from a shop in South Carolina, and the authorities referenced South Carolina Law 44-53-0190, which classified Delta-8 as a controlled substance for containing THC. None of their state laws addressed Delta-8, specifically, and the supply of hemp in the shop contained more than the 0.3% level for legal hemp products. It also could have been the case that the police labs could not distinguish Delta-8 from Delta-9 THC.
In order to enforce CBD policy in Congress, some members pushed for the current ruling that CBD derived from hemp should be permitted as a dietary supplement and food additive. The bill to permit hemp, CBD derived from the hemp plant and other hemp ingredients is called H.R. 8179. It was introduced last year, but it didn\’t pass. The FDA\’s suggestions on hemp and its derived products, including dosage and research requirements, differed greatly from the Congressional approach.
Most people agree that federal uniformity regarding the legality of CBD is preferable than state-by-state, and locality-specific, rules and regulations. Another positive aspect of uniformity of cannabis rules is that a consistent, federal standard would expose noncompliant firms, and would therefore raise the standards for the whole cannabis industry.
When the FDA last reported the CBD sampling report to Congress, the report didn\’t provide enough insight as to how most of the CBD industry complies with strict product standards. The 2018 Farm Bill was only a partial victory for legal CBD, since the FDA stated that CBD decisions would take several years. It will also not be a permanent solution, so it is dependent upon Congress to amend existing laws to allow CBD edible products to be allowed as food additives, providing that CBD businesses comply with labeling and safety standards.
Last month, when Governor Cuomo passed the recreational cannabis law, both lobbyists and lawmakers were surprised by how Mr. Cuomo conceded more easily than thought. He is known not to compromise easily, yet he worked hard on securing a cannabis policy issue win during the worsening political and economic conditions.
He stated that March 31st was a historic day in New York, one which put an end to prison sentences, that also is a promising industry to help the economy in New York. The passage of the bill into law also makes communities who have suffered the most the ones to benefit and to be prioritized after being adversely affected by the war on drugs.
The state\’s newly legalized recreational cannabis program will be run by the Cannabis Control Board, which will draft new regulations, and by the Office of Cannabis Management, which will implement those policies. They will be responsible for creating and distributing licenses to businesses seeking to enter the market. This can be for any facet of the cannabis distribution chain, from farming the cannabis to processing the plant to be made into edibles, smokable products and cannabis concentrates. There would also be licenses given to distributors who would sell wholesale cannabis to retailers. This includes dispensaries where consumers can buy cannabis and also sites where they can smoke or consume cannabis products.
There are benefits to choosing Delta-8 THC to achieve a calming effect without the psychoactive properties of the stronger Delta-9 version of THC. As we know, Delta-9 is still a regulated substance. Delta-8 does produce a sort of floaty feeling, and the effects will differ in each person.
Delta-8 THC does have the ability to produce a mildly psychoactive feeling, and the effects on the brain are thought of and described as being somewhere between those of CBD and Delta-9 THC. They are definitely different from Delta-9 in that the feeling from Delta-8 is more of a physical sensation. The body will generally feel lighter and looser, so to speak. There will also be a slightly calming feeling, mentally speaking, that will allow a person to feel calm but still clear-headed enough to carry on his or her daily routine.
Delta-8 THC products are cheaper to buy than legal cannabis that is available to buy in other states. It is also about half as potent as the Delta-9 version. The above-mentioned lightness in the body and a heightened sense of focus and clarity can occur. It also may lead to increased appetite and a sense of hilarity, or silliness. None of these are usually with a strong intensity, confusion or brain fogginess, in most people.
In addition to helping the economical landscape of New York, the newly enacted cannabis law is a significant win for the the medical cannabis industry. As mentioned previously, this industry has spent millions of dollars to lobby to make the existing state\’s medical cannabis program less restrictive, since this portion of the bill was signed into law by Governor Cuomo in 2014, at the time of the first Farm Bill.
Currently, the new, recreational cannabis law will expand the medical cannabis program in a positive way, and it will also bring in new cannabis patients. Under the law, people would now be permitted to smoke cannabis flower, which is a more affordable form of ingesting cannabis. Patients could also now receive up to a 60 day supply of cannabis, which is currently restricted to only a 30 day supply. Cannabis will now be expanded to be utilized for any medical condition, whereas previously it could only be prescribed for cancer, AUDS and epilepsy.
Before the recent legalization of recreational cannabis, some of the New York companies had entered the medical cannabis market, with the hopes of gaining ground to eventually sell recreational cannabis, also. That idea paid off, since the state\’s medical cannabis providers, which are restricted to ten companies, will now be able to enter the recreational market, by paying a one-time fee. This market is more profitable than the medical one. These existing companies will then have influence as multi-state operators with years of experience in the cannabis business. They will help to grow the state\’s newly recreational market.
The Farm Bill states that in order for hemp products to be legal, they must contain the legal amount of THC, 0.3%, since it is a psychoactive substance. Delta 8-THC would theoretically have to be extracted from the cannabis plant, but that plant also contains high amounts of the illegal concentration of Delta-9 THC.
Delta-8 THC must be extracted to its purest form. This process begins with the whole hemp flower. The flower must be distilled chemically to isolate the Delta-8 THC cannabinoid. One carbon molecule is taken away, in simple terms, and the resulting distilled product is then concentrated further. This process allows for the hemp to be made into the legal cannabis products which can be bought and sold. These include the cannabis products that are available legally, in the forms such as edibles, tinctures and oils. Some Delta-8 THC is made by chemically converting CBD or Delta-9 THC by utilizing catalysts, heat or solvents, and also by altering the oH balance.
As of now, the THC market is not federally regulated, so the user must do research and take the word of the manufacturer with regard to the effects, contents and how the products are made.
Yes, the Farm Bill was not specifically looking to legalize cannabis, at least not more potent strains of it, so it featured a restriction of the levels of THC that could be permitted in various products sourced from hemp. This applies to both tincture and oils, and as we know very well from here, the legal level of THC is 0.3%. This trace amount is too low to produce an intoxicating effect, or to have any type of a psychoactive effect at all. This fact does depend on the three criteria of the cannabis\’ being full-spectrum, personal tolerance levels and sensitivity and likelihood of a person\’s placebo effect.
The tricky part and gray area of the criteria stated in the Farm Bill is the 0.3% legal limit of THC, which is the Delta-9 THC concentration. This potency of THC makes it a separate substance, and it is one of the more than 120 naturally occurring known cannabinoids in the hemp plant. Therefore, the Delta-8 THC is completely legal, since it has the lower concentration of THC.
As of a ruling in 2020, the Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA, declared that synthetically derived cannabinoids are still considered to be Schedule 1 controlled substances. As of now, no one has determined whether or not Delta-8 qualifies as a Schedule 1 substance. This still classifies it as legal, under the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, just as CBD is.
The rules surrounding the newly legalized cannabis market will be put into place in the coming months. People will be able to have cannabis delivered to their homes at some point soon. Cannabis will also be permitted to be consumed at lounge-type facilities, which are also dubbed consumption sites. It will be permitted to grow up to six cannabis plants in the home for personal use.
Although cannabis dispensaries won\’t open until more than one year from now, each locality will have the option of either allowing or not allowing cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions. For those who choose to participate,the recreational cannabis market is expected to generate about 350 million dollars in the near future, in the forms of tax revenue, and billions of dollars in annual sales. There will be new businesses and thousands of new jobs will be created. These will be in the areas of the cultivation, sales and distribution of cannabis.
The new cannabis law will also help the medical cannabis industry. The bill was a significant win and gain for the medical cannabis domain, since millions of dollars have been spent for lobbying to make New York State\’s medical cannabis use program less restrictive. Governor Cuomo signed the legislation that legalized cannabis for medical use in 2014. Currently, the medical cannabis program will expand, and new patients will be added.
After years of postponed attempts by the state of New York to legalize recreational cannabis, New York finally legalized it on Wednesday, March 31st. The state enacted a strong program that will reinvest the cannabis tax revenues into communities who have been the hardest hit by the drug war, which lasted for decades.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation on cannabis on Wednesday, the 31st, and this bill became law one day after the State Legislature passed it after hours of debate from lawmakers in Albany. New York became the 15th state to legalize the use of recreational cannabis, and by doing so, is now in a position to quickly become one of the biggest markets for legal cannabis. It is poised to also become one of the few states in the nation where cannabis legalization is directly correlated with racial and economic equity.
During the period of time when the attempts to legalize cannabis had been unsuccessful, there were disagreements on how the tax revenues from cannabis sales would be allocated. Democratic lawmakers had insisted that a large percentage of the revenue should be distributed in communities that had been the most adversely affected by arrests due to cannabis charges. The governor wanted to have more control on how the money would be spent, but the lawmakers were more influential. Forty percent of tax revenue from cannabis will be geared towards those communities the most disproportionately affected by drugs, and people who were convicted of cannabis related offenses which are no longer illegal will have their records automatically cleared. In addition, the law will allow for those who had been involved in the illicit cannabis market to be involved in the newly legal cannabis market.
The cannabis bill was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in the 11 a.m. hour, on Wednesday, March 31st. This recreational cannabis law makes New York the 15th state to approve the recreational use of cannabis, after the measure passed through the Senate and the State Assembly on Tuesday, March 30th.
This passage of the bill is particularly significant for community minority advocates as well as for criminal justice reform groups. The state of New York will aim to ensure that 50% of cannabis licenses will go to underserved communities. The Empire State joins a handful of states that will expunge past convictions involving cannabis. This new legislation will also protect people from being discriminated for cannabis use in schools, colleges, public housing and in the workplace.
The Senate Majority Leader said that the cannabis legislation would turn the lives around of some of the people who were convicted of cannabis crimes, and help them now to be able to take care of their families and communities. Lawmakers estimate that the revenue will eventually total 300 million dollars a year to cover the costs of regulating and administering the program. The rest of the money will be divided among schools, drug treatment and prevention programs, and a fund will be set up to invest in adult education and job skills in certain communities. The Senate Majority Leader feels strongly about this financial structure, because she stated that people will now be free from being incarcerated for having used a drug which people in their communities use daily.
There have been many companies who are starting to tap into the newly legal cannabis market. In addition to Delta-8 THC and hemp, some of them have begun researching some of the less well known cannabinoids, such as CBC, CBG, CBN and THCv. The purpose and goal of this research was to come up with the entourage effect, by determining the synergistically related influence among all of the cannabinoids.
One company focused on the minor cannabinoids, which are the substances that occur naturally in cannabis plants, but in minute quantities. They utilized them in various amounts, in order to experiment with producing desired effects among them, depending on what the user might be trying to achieve. The moment of a great revelation happened when Delta-8 THC was extracted, since it is similar in molecular structure to CBD. Delta-8 produced desirable effects, in that it didn\’t cause the same degree of paranoia or anxiety, or have addictive properties.
Sales of Delta-8 THC increased, and currently, there are about one dozen additional companies which are producing and selling Delta-8 THC products. In 2021, so far, it is the most rapidly growing product in the hemp industry. This was based on a recent report in the New York Times.
There is a dilemma that exists, that even though the chemical makeup of Delta-8 is not too complex, it is more expensive to produce than merely growing and harvesting a cannabis plant. If the DEA decides that Delta-8 is derived synthetically, then it would be a controlled substance, since synthetic THC is still banned. Sellers maintain that Delta-8 is a natural derivative of the hemp plant.
People who use Delta-8 THC say that it produces a high feeling similar to that of Delta-9 THC. However, Delta-8 doesn\’t cause the paranoia or anxiety that cannabis users can experience. They say that the feeling it produces is more on a physical level, than on a mental one, and also that it can leave a mildly buzzy feeling. Some users of Delta-8 go one step further to say that it soothes their depression or anxiety. These effects mostly depend on the user, as is the case with CBD, and most other psychoactive substances.
One start up company that was one of the first to produce and sell Delta-8 THC in 2019, began when cannabis startup companies were looking for legal and novel extracts from the cannabis plant. The plant\’s potential was beginning to come to light, and the CEO of this early startup stated that the benefits of Delta-8 THC were a perfect balance between those of CBD and of Delta-9 THC.
The Delta-8 extract started to become popular after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, as did CBD. Hemp is the cannabis strain containing less than the legal limit of 0.3% THC, which is the Delta-9 version. The bill ended the ban on hemp products in place since 1970, and it allowed for the sale of all hemp derivatives, except for Delta-9 THC.
