Posted on 07/26/22
| News Source: WBAL TV
A new product sold Maryland stores is intoxicating like marijuana and completely unregulated.
CBD came on the market several years ago and was sold in wellness stores and vape shops all over Maryland. And, an array of cannabis products will get users high without a prescription or medical card needed.
"You can do edibles, like gummies. You can also do vape products," said Keith Manley, a store owner.
The product is called Delta-8 -- which is a very close cousin of Delta-9 that's otherwise known as marijuana -- and due to a loophole in federal law, it's technically legal to buy Delta-8 over the counter.
"The difference between the two, if you've never tried it, would be marijuana is a lot stronger. So, if you're smoking that, you'll feel like maybe you had one or two drinks of wine," Manley said.
Dr. Ryan Vandrey is a cannabis researcher who studies the effects of cannabinoids in a lab at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore. He's currently conducting a study on Delta-8.
"Delta-8 THC seems to produce all of the same types of effects Delta-9 THC does. It seems to be a little less potent, but potency can be overcome by increasing the dose," Vandrey said. "The biggest problem right now in my mind is that Delta-8 is largely unregulated and it's widely available. It's a substance that has abuse potential. It can cause psychoactive drug effects, impairment of functioning and the products that are available right now, you don't really know what's in them."
Will Tilburg, executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, spoke about how readily available Delta-8 can be.