Much is written about the fact that delta-8 THC gummies are about half as potent as their delta-9 counterparts. You’ll indeed experience a milder level of intoxication when using D8 than D9. However, this doesn’t mean you won’t feel much of a high when using delta-8 gummies.
Indeed, as many consumers of marijuana edibles will attest, the high can be surprisingly strong, especially if you’re not used to the effects of THC. This article outlines why you experience a more intense high after eating delta-8 gummies compared to when you vape the substance or use a D8 tincture.
Consumption Method Matters
Only individuals with little or no experience in THC consumption believe it doesn’t matter how you ingest the cannabinoid. In reality, your product choice dictates how quickly the effects occur and the intensity of the high.
For example, if you vape delta-8, you’ll likely notice the initial effects in a matter of seconds. However, the high doesn’t last particularly long. If you use a tincture, you might get the effects in 15+ minutes. While the feeling lasts longer than when you vape (all things being equal), it still can’t match edibles for duration.
Delta-8 gummies can take over an hour to have an effect. However, some users report that the effects can last 8+ hours, with the peak high occurring 3-4 hours after initially consuming the cannabinoid.
A Lengthy Journey
When you vape or smoke THC, the chemical is absorbed into your bloodstream rapidly. It travels to your brain, and soon, you get that intoxicated sensation.
It is a much longer journey to the bloodstream when you consume edibles like delta-8 gummies. When you eat the gummy, the delta-8 becomes 11-hydroxy-THC once the D8 is digested and metabolized by your liver. This metabolite is several times more intoxicating than delta-9 THC. In effect, if you eat the same amount of delta-8 as you vape or consume sublingually, the high is more intense and lasts significantly longer.
Initially, your stomach processes the cannabinoid; then, it is metabolized by your liver into another chemical. Only then does it make it to your bloodstream and brain. This explains why it takes so long for delta-8 gummies to have an effect.
Another issue is that cannabinoids get metabolized to varying degrees in different parts of the body. When you eat D8, a larger portion of it journeys to the liver first than with smoked or vaped cannabinoids. Therefore, the proportion of delta-8 converted into 11-hydroxy-THC is far higher with edibles than if you smoke or vape the substance.
Does This Make Delta-8 Gummies Dangerous?
Not at all. Indeed, if you use delta-8 gummies sensibly, you’ll enjoy an extremely satisfying high. First and foremost, it is practically impossible to overdose on delta-9 THC, let alone D8, which is only half as potent. Research suggests that you would need to consume around 1,500 pounds of marijuana flower in 15 minutes to die from a THC overdose. This explains why no one has ever suffered this specific cause of death.
If you consume an excessive amount of delta-8 gummies, you may have an unpleasant experience. Adverse effects include sweating, nausea, vomiting, and increased heart rate. If you go a long way overboard with dosing, hallucinations are also possible.
Yet, getting into this situation would require a great deal of effort. In simple terms, it is not something likely to happen by accident. If you eat 25 delta-8 gummies in one setting, each containing 25mg of the cannabinoid (for a total of 625mg), you will not like the result.
Eating one-half or even one-quarter is enough when using delta-8 gummies for the first time. More experienced THC users may find that a full gummy gives the desired effects.
Final Thoughts on Why Delta-8 Gummies Offer Strong Effects
Edibles such as delta-8 gummies are metabolized differently in the body to other forms of consumption such as sublingual, vaped, or smoked D8. This explains why the high is usually much more potent when using the same amount as other consumption methods. In other words, a 25mg delta-8 gummy will provide a stronger level of intoxication than 25mg worth of D8 in tincture form.
However, as long as you use the cannabinoid sensibly, you shouldn’t experience significant adverse effects.