Delta-8 Is a Less Potent Version Of The THC Most People Know

If you’ve gotten high on cannabis, you’ve likely consumed delta-9 THC. Delta-8 is nearly identical to the OG cannabinoid, but a single shifted chemical bond means it has different effects.

Experts estimate that delta-8 has between half and three-quarters of the potency of delta-9 THC. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t get you baked, Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a cannabis specialist, told Insider.

“It’s less potent, but that doesn’t mean it gets you less high,” said Grinspoon, a primary-care physician at Harvard Medical. “It’s sort of like you can’t argue that beer gets you less drunk than vodka.”

Just as you would need to drink several beers to reach vodka-level drunk, you’d have to consume more delta-8 to feel as high as you would on delta-9.

With this in mind, my friend and I split a 75-milligram lemon-poppyseed scone along with our 25-mg drinks. (She got a Cannatonic Latte, and I was delighted to order a fall latte called Snoop’s Apple Pie.)

Frankly, that adds up to a lot more than my target dose for regular edibles — the standard recreational dose for edibles is 2.5 to 15 mg of delta-9 THC, according to the cannabis website Leafly. But I wasn’t convinced that this backdoor cannabinoid would have an effect.

“If you’re taking delta-8 expecting to get knocked on your ass, you’re not going to like it,” Adam Rahman, the CEO of Fresh Bros Hemp Company, told me.