The Chance Discovery and Future of Delta 10 THC

Yes, you read that right. We have another form of THC to explore – meet Delta 10 THC, a new cannabinoid with a short but interesting history.

Delta 10 THC is one of the hundreds of cannabinoids found in cannabis. But unlike some of the bigger names like CBD, Delta 9 THC, CBG, CBN and Delta-8 THC, Delta 10 is not a naturally occurring plant compound, although it does start off that way.

This molecular sibling does have many commonalities with Delta 9 and Delta 8 tetrahydrocannabinols, but there are some key differences as well. Let’s explore what we know about Delta 10 THC so far, and why it’s important for you as a consumer and for the industry as a whole.

The Bizarre Formation of Delta 10 THC

As with many of the nation’s cannabis trends, Delta 10 THC started in California too. However, this time, it was purely accidental. A company called Fusion Farms out of Adelanto, CA, bought some outdoor flower to manufacture concentrates. As many already know, California is subject to almost annual, very large wildfires; and unbeknownst to Fusion Farms, the biomass they purchased was contaminated with fire retardant.

Since they were unaware of the contamination, they continued with the extraction as planned but after the distillation process, unusual crystals began to form. These crystals had a completely different structure than previously observed cannabinoid crystals. After conducting some laboratory tests, it was determined that these crystals were most similar to CBC (cannabichromene), but still not an exact match. They continued testing this structure against all the known cannabinoids and no match was found. This went on for several months.

Eventually, they discovered that it was yet another variation of tetrahydrocannabinol, formed because of plant exposure to those fire retardants – Delta 10 THC. So basically, D10 is an artificial cannabinoid, formed by converting D9 or other cannabinoids using some type of catalyst. In this case, it was fire retardant, but companies are looking at various greener methods to created Delta 10 THC, like certain food-grade additives.

In chemistry, “Delta” refers to the double bond in a compound’s molecular structure. Delta compounds have more electrons and will interact with the body in a different way than single bond cannabinoids. The difference between the Delta THC analogues comes down to where the double bond is located on their chain of carbon atoms. Delta 8 has this bond on the 8^th carbon chain, Delta 9 on the 9^th chain, and Delta 10 THC has the double bond on the 10^th carbon chain. It seems like a small difference, but from a chemical standpoint, it’s substantial.

How Does Delta 10 THC Effect the Body?

Honestly, it’s hard to say. Because this cannabinoid is so new, there is really no concrete information on how it effects the body and what medical benefits it could provide. I think it’s safe to assume that the effects will be similar to other tetrahydrocannabinols, and that it will likely interact with the body’s CB1 and CB2 receptors in a similar way.

However, that’s just educated speculation at this point. All that we can say for sure is that Delta 10 THC is less psychoactive than Delta 9 and even Delta 8, though not by much for the latter. It’s likely that you will need higher concentrations of Delta 10 to achieve the same results you would get from the other THCs.

Can Delta 10 THC Get You High?

Short answer, yes. All THC products have psychoactive properties, and thus, can get you high. Delta 9 is going to be the strongest, which is great for some but can cause paranoia and anxiety in others. Delta 8 has similar effects to Delta 9 but is a bit less potent, less intense, and is said to be a great sleep aid.

Delta 10 is similar to Delta 8 when it comes to levels of potency (although some analysis indicates that is a bit less powerful), but where D8 is great for sleep, D10 will make you feel more alert, creative, and energetic.

Since this is a very new cannabinoid and there aren’t many delta 10 products available for the average consumer, you’re not going to find a lot of firsthand reports of how Delta 10 made them feel just yet. We can expect that to change over the coming weeks, as many industry professionals have noticed there is interest in Delta 10 and are working on making products as we speak.

It’s also important to mention that Delta 10 THC will show up on a urinalysis drug test and will probably not be differentiated from Delta 9. So if there is a reason you can’t consume Delta 9 THC, you should also stay away from Delta 8 and Delta 10.

What Does the Future Hold?

“We’ve been selling thousands of Delta-8 products a day,” said David Reckles from Private Label Hemp Lab. “And based on the feedback from Delta-10 so far, we’re ramping production to prepare for a similarly soaring demand. We think Delta-8 and Delta-10 have the power to turn the CBD market on its head.”

“Many People don’t just want CBD for its natural wellness benefits. They want something to take the edge off. They want to feel noticeably more relaxed and they don’t want to have to get a medical cannabis card to do it. For these self-helpers, CBD alone isn’t always enough. Now that Delta-8 and Delta-10 are available, people are starting to realize these compounds are on a whole other level. Why would people want to go back to the CBD?” David continued.  

What Type of Delta 10 THC Products are Available?

At this point in time, you won’t find many Delta-10 products on the market. But companies already plan to launch an assortment of Delta-10 items by the end of spring. Here at Good CBD we are working to source the best quality products on the market as soon as they are available to us. Different product options will include:

• Disposable pens
• Vape cartridges
• Gummies
• Tincture / oil 
• Dabbing syringes
• Chocolate bars
• Shatter 
• Flower and prerolls