We are excited to announce a new addition that is coming to the Blankz Pods store: a Delta 8 Cartridge. Delta 8 oil has quickly become one of the most popular vaping products to emerge this year and we are happy to provide our Juul loving customers with a new way to enjoy this relaxing concentrate product. If you have any questions about what this new product is or how it works, don’t worry! Today we’re going to dive into Delta 8 and try to answer as many questions as we can before we release our new Juul compatible Delta 8 cartridges.

It All Started In 2018

To understand the origin of Delta 8, we have to rewind a few years and look at an important piece of legislation known as the 2018 Farm Bill. In the years leading up to 2018, there was a building interest in developing medical treatments from products found in the cannabis sativa plant. Sadly the production of products derived from this plant is federally illegal in the United States. This is because cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana, is a controlled substance.

The cannabis sativa plant itself is one of the first plants to be domesticated and farmed. This is because it is extremely versatile. These plants were utilized by early humans due to the medicinal properties of their flowers, their nutrient packed seeds, and the fact that the fibers of the plants’ stalks were ideal for producing strong ropes. As plants were selectively bred to produce more intoxicating cannabinoids, they were legally classified as a drug and banned in many countries over the last century.

Cannabis plants contain many “active” chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. One of these cannabinoids, a compound known as cannabidiol or CBD, was of particular interest to scientists a few years ago due to promising studies that showed that it could be used to combat certain types of epileptic seizures. Despite the potential benefits, all cannabinoids processed from cannabis plants were considered federally scheduled substances. This meant that policy makers had to find a way to change how we look at these plants from a legal standpoint.

The 2018 Farm Bill was a huge change to the legal landscape of cannabis because it altered the definition of what made these plants illegal. It was decided that the legality of cannabis plants would be determined based on the amount of THC they contained. This is because of the fact that THC is the cannabinoid responsible for marijuana’s signature “high” feeling. In order to make it possible for other cannabinoids to be legally harvested, plants that contained less than 0.3% THC by weight would be legally considered industrial hemp plants. This clearly delineated cannabis sativa into two groups: legal industrial hemp plants that contained miniscule levels of THC and illegal marijuana plants that contained more than 0.3% THC.

This meant that cannabinoids extracted from these low THC plants were not legally considered marijuana products, but could instead be classified as hemp products. The popularity of CBD quickly exploded as businesses were able to legally add hemp derived CBD to their products. Some CBD oils were even “full spectrum” and contained 0.3% or less THC content, though this was fine due to the fact that the THC was derived from hemp plants and not marijuana plants.

CBD has a calming effect that is not psychoactive. This means that users could take it and enjoy a relaxed sensation that would not get them high like ingesting marijuana. The popularity and mainstream acceptance of CBD products and the study of other cannabinoids found in industrial hemp plants is what led to the popularity of Delta 8 products.

So What Is Delta 8

Okay, so now that we covered what makes industrial hemp plants so special, it’s time to take a quick look at Delta 8 itself. Delta 8 is the catchy name for Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol also known as Delta 8 THC. As we explained earlier, the legality of hemp is determined by the total concentration of THC found in these plants. The thing is, there are many different types of cannabinoids, including more than a few variations of THC. The legality of hemp plants is determined by the presence of Delta 9 THC, the active cannabinoid that gets users high. This means that, while Delta 9 THC must meet the 0.3% or less requirement, the concentrations of other cannabinoids are unrestricted.

Now you are probably thinking, I get it! They are just growing plants with lots of Delta 8 and almost no Delta 9! That certainly would be ideal, but it is not that easy. The processes within the plant that produce both of these compounds are closely related, meaning that it is difficult to increase the natural presence of one without similarly impacting the other. Luckily the processes that produce CBD and THC are far enough removed that you can produce large amounts of CBD from a single plant while maintaining legal levels of Delta 9 THC.

With the help of a few chemical processes, you can take hemp derived CBD and turn it into Delta 8 THC. This leaves you with as much Delta 8 as you want from an industrial hemp plant. Delta 8 can also be isolated from marijuana plants, though this process is only legal in states that permit the production of marijuana products. For other states, converted CBD is the only option.

How Does It Work?

Delta 8 and Delta 9 are virtually identical, but there are a few important differences in their atomic structure. These structural differences also translate to differences in how the THC will affect you. The sensations experienced by users who ingest cannabinoids are extremely subjective, so it can be difficult to define exactly what affects Delta 8 will have for each individual.

Our brains have special receptors that interact with cannabinoids. These receptors are known as the endocannabinoid system. This system was discovered by studying how THC affects our brains and it was named accordingly, even though it does much more than just interact with cannabinoid compounds. The receptors in this system interact with certain neurotransmitters like anandamide, which is a natural compound that interacts with our pleasure response and several other compounds that our bodies produce naturally. Hemp derived cannabinoids have their own unique effects on these receptors.

The system consists of two types of receptors known as CB1 and CB2. CBD bonds to the CB1 receptor while Delta 9 THC bonds to both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, giving this form of THC its signature potency. Delta 8 has been shown to bind to the CB1 endocannabinoid receptor just like CBD. This is believed to be the reason for its somewhat less intense effects.

Most users who try Delta 8 report effects somewhere between the use of CBD and Delta 9 THC. This includes increased appetite and can help relieve anxiety. One major benefit of Delta 8 over Delta 9 is the fact that it does not usually induce a sense of paranoia or anxiety that is sometimes associated with Delta 9 THC use. This means that most Delta 8 users report having a generally pleasant experience.

One very important thing to consider when deciding whether or not to try Delta 8 is the fact that, unlike CBD, Delta 8 is psychoactive. Not everyone who tries Delta 8 is going to end up feeling “stoned” but some users will experience intoxication. This means that it is extremely important to understand how Delta 8 affects you in a safe environment.

Our Cartridges

As you probably know, we started out making refillable Juul pods so our customers could enjoy any flavor of nicotine salt e-liquid that they wanted using their Juul devices. Recently we received a lot of interest with regards to creating a Juul compatible pod that could vaporizer oil based concentrates. In response, we produced a limited edition line of concentrate pods. These pods contain ceramic coils that were specially designed to vape thicker oil concentrates.

Recently we tried some Delta 8 products ourselves, including the Premium Delta 8 gummies that you can currently find in our store. We enjoyed them and we have already gotten some encouraging responses from our customers. This gave us the idea to put together our knowledge of Juul pods with these great new concentrates in the form of our own limited edition Blankz Delta 8 Juul pods.

We are currently working on these pods and we hope to have them up on our store as soon as possible. Our goal is to make a pod that works perfectly with any Juul compatible device and delivers a smooth Delta 8 vapor. Most of the Delta 8 THC vape cartridges available on the market are designed to use thread 510 cartridges that can be used with pen style vape batteries. We are excited to offer the relaxing effects of Delta 8 vapor combined with the convenience of using a Juul pod.

Each of our Delta 8 cartridges is designed to hold one milliliter of Delta 8 oil. The oil is vaped using our ceramic coils, meaning that you get great vapor production even with such a thick oil. If you are interested in trying one of these pods, the average serving that we recommend is just one or two small(less than three second) hits off of the pod. Limit the timing of your draw to avoid irritating the back of the throat. Once you have taken a few puffs, we recommend taking 10 to 15 minutes to get the full feel of the effects before you take more puffs. This will ensure that you get a gradual feel for how Delta 8 affects you.

Enjoying These Cartridges Safely

It is important to note that you should not drive, operate machinery, or engage in any other potential dangerous activity when using these pods. They are a great way to relax, but it is always wise to err on the side of caution when trying any new concentrate product. It is also always wise to look up the legality of Delta 8 and other hemp derived products in your area.

Most states do not seem to be interested in regulating Delta 8 usage, especially in the wake of how successful and accepted CBD products have become. Despite this fact, some lawmakers have argued that Delta 8 is a synthetic cannabinoid due to the fact that it is chemically altered during its production process. Others point out the fact that this compound is naturally found in hemp and that the slight alteration of CBD into Delta 8 does not constitute the creation of a synthetic compound.

Either way, it is always wise to do your research so you can make a smart and informed decision before using these cartridges. You should also avoid these cartridges if you need to pass a drug test that will include Delta 9 THC, as Delta 8 and Delta 9 are similar enough that using these cartridges will probably cause you to fail the test. As long as you keep all of these factors in mind, you should be able to relax after a long day and take a few puffs off one of our Delta 8 cartridges without any issues! 

If you are interested in trying out these new Delta 8 cartridges, keep your eyes on our online store for more details. These are some very potent pods so we are expecting them to sell quickly.  We are very excited to hear what our customers think about these pods so be sure to pick up a pack when we launch them and let us know what you think!