THC and its variants focus of drug prevention group
In 2023, the 21 Wellness Coalition plans to focus its community education efforts on THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. Community prevention specialist Kristi Lipp says that the education will also touch on the high-potency of modern cannabis and new products like delta-8 and delta-9 that exist because of a loophole in hemp laws.
According to the Federal Drug Administration, “delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as delta-8 THC, is a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant, of which marijuana and hemp are two varieties. Delta-8 THC is one of over 100 cannabinoids produced naturally by the cannabis plant but is not found in significant amounts in the cannabis plant. As a result, concentrated amounts of delta-8 THC are typically manufactured from hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD).”
Delta-9 is similar to delta-8, although it has a slightly different chemical structure.
According to Lipp, delta variants are legal in Wyoming while cannabis is not because of the way the farm bill is written.
“The way the statute reads, as long as it is labeled ‘hemp,’ (it is legal)” Lipp told the Board of Weston County Commissioners on Feb. 7. She noted that educating the community on the dangers of deltas and high-potency cannabis will hopefully prevent dangerous situations for community members, particularly youths.
“We have had a couple scary situations. Because it is purchased legally, they think legal is okay,” she told the commissioners.
Issues involving delta-8 have been reported across the state, and the Wyoming Legislature considered several bills prohibiting its sale to minors during the 2023 session.
House Bills 137 and 138 were both drafted by Cody High School students in the Youth for Justice Club. These bills, which would limit the sale of THC products to people under age 21, failed to meet the Feb. 3 deadline to be heard and, therefore, died.
However, HB 108 was placed on general file in the Senate on Feb. 17. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, would prohibit the sale of vaping and edible products containing THC to people under age 21.
While the original bill did not include delta-8, an amendment proposed by Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, and approved by the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee included prohibiting the sale of delta-8 to minors.
While cannabis still remains illegal in Wyoming, information provided by Lipp states that there has been a shift in attitude on the legalization of marijuana in the past decade.
“Today’s high-potency THC can be consumed in a variety of ways. The flowers or leaves can be smoked (rolled in a joint or a pipe), but there are also concentrated THC products which can be infused into foods and drinks (edibles), vaporized, ingested under the tongue (liquid extract), or eaten or smoked in the form of THC-rich resin (dabbing),” the information says. “These concentrated products have the THC concentration levels upwards of 95% making it more harmful and easier to consume without detection.”
Because of those concerns and the further legalization of THC products across the country, Lipp said, it is important to inform the community on the dangers and risks associated with their use.
