We are increasingly uncovering more information about cannabinoids aside from the dominant THC and CBD, with states across the country introducing legislation to regulate the sale of delta-8-THC. Now, with the dawning of THC-O-acetate, which can be made from hemp-derived delta-8-THC and said to be more potent than delta-9-THC with significantly longer lasting effects, some professionals are concerned at the lack of information available for the new derivative cannabinoid.
The hemp-originated version of THC-acetate is distinct from the THC-O-acetate made from delta-9-THC, and because delta-8-THC is being specifically banned, manufacturers are attempting to create a substance with similar effects that is not banned, according to James Stephens, a chemical engineer, microbiologist and founder of Iron Light in Missoula, Montana.
“It’s the same kind of game you see with a lot of the designer-drug laws,” Stephens told MJBizDaily. “Remember all the synthetic cannabinoids that were on the market?”
There is already discussion that THC-acetate is three times as potent as THC, with users experiencing psychoactive effects for significantly longer than they would using a product with just THC.
And people are already selling the new product, attempting to replace the newly regulated delta-8 THC with the unregulated THC-O-acetate.
“It’s the same kind of game you see with a lot of the designer-drug laws,” Stephens told Hemp Industry Daily. “Remember all the synthetic cannabinoids that were on the market? It’s just this race against, ‘OK, they’ve specifically banned the substance, so let’s make a new or a derivative substance that doesn’t have a specific ban against it.’”
Stephens’ main concern is that there is little to no safety data from those making these products. He says that he has personally not seen anyone testing the products, when typically, as companies experiment with new cannabinoids, they will pursue public safety data before moving forward to selling products at a storefront.
Stephens admits that THC-O-acetate could show some potential in the level of potency it carries, but he emphasizes that, without safety data, no one truly knows what the product does. Because it’s more potent than THC, he says it’s fair not to out-rule overdosing, at least until there is more substantial testing.
He points to a bigger concern here, in that introducing a potentially more dangerous product to the masses could be detrimental to the legal cannabis movement as a whole.
“I think if you ended up with an overdose from a THC molecule and someone dies, that’s going to give all the prohibitionists all the reason they need to be like, ‘No THC is safe because people are going to do this stuff,’ and cause a blanket ban,” Stephens said.
It’s not all bad. While there is sometimes a divide in the industry around the safety and viability of lab-created products, Stephens said the big takeaway is that companies should always generate the safety data to back their new products.
“This may be a legitimate product,” Stephens said. “At the end of the day, there could easily be a place for it, whether that’s adult use or for legitimate medical uses. There could be something there, but releasing these products without safety data is just foolish.”
Testing can also lead to beneficial breakthroughs within cannabis, in that it allows companies and scientists to understand what cannabinoids could benefit users, potency aside. Testing and figuring out what cannabinoids, and their derivatives, work against medical conditions like cancer or treating epilepsy is the way we continue to hone in on the benefits of cannabis, without turning a corner we shouldn’t.
“You need safety data because it would suck … (to) take something that’s really safe and then make it terrible. That’s the last thing that you want to do,” Stephens said.
