Six companies in five states have received warning letters from government agencies for selling illegal products containing delta-8 THC made from industrial hemp.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) targeted the companies for their online sales of products containing the synthetic form of THC.
Delta-8 THC naturally occurs in hemp but only in trace amounts. Taking advantage of unclear current laws, shady producers are turning out high-concentration delta-8 by putting hemp-derived CBD through a process in the lab. Delta-8 produces a psychoactive effect that is milder than that associated with delta-9 THC, the more common variety of THC found in marijuana.
Most states are working to reign in the synthetic products, which have proliferated after demand for off-the-shelf CBD extracts stagnated and prices and margins were trimmed; the struggling CBD producers found an outlet among the dodgy makers of delta-8 products.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration asserted earlier this year that delta-8 and other forms of hemp-based synthetic THC do not meet the federal definition of hemp and are therefore controlled substances subject to federal laws for drugs.
FDA rules bar the marketing of cannabis derivatives in food products, with both CBD and delta-8 THC unapproved for human and animal consumption.
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