The alternative THC wave is hitting the cannabis industry like a hurricane with a whole new plethora of cannabinoids and products. A few months ago I tried delta-8 gummies for the people to see how they felt, and today, I’m back to tell you about delta-10, the newest THC kid on the block.
The world has always known about THC, or delta-9. It’s what you get when you consume most cannabis, and it creates the traditional weed high—the potent buzz behind the eyes and in the body that lasts for hours.
For some, delta-9 is too much to handle and may make you anxious or uncomfortable. That’s where delta-8 and delta-10 come in and why companies have started producing them from hemp.
I’m here to tell you how delta-10 compares to delta-8 and THC (delta-9), and if it really is the lightest high of them all.
Related
I tried delta-8 THC: Here’s what it feels like
Setting a baseline experience: THC (delta-9)
To compare the three THCs, I started with a baseline: regular THC, or delta-9. I smoked Apple Fritter and Gello flower and felt the usual effects from cannabis that Katt Williams cemented into our heads years ago: hungry, happy, and sleepy. Apple Fritter is usually an uplifting daytime smoke that can give you mental energy to finish a list of tasks. Gello is usually sedative and heavy.
After smoking Apple Fritter I felt alert and productive for about four hours, then it tailed off into a yawny comedown. With Gello, I felt relaxed and super stoned for six hours until the high was so relaxing, I got sleepy.
I also ate some Blueberry Lemonade gummies from Journeyman. Edibles always give me a heavy body high that needs a nap to wear off. About an hour after eating two of them, my body felt all loosey goosey. When I woke up, I had that lingering “Oh yeah, I ate edibles last night, huh?” sort of edible hangover that usually keeps me away from them. Delicious gummies though.
This is how I expected all of these products to hit, so truly, no surprises with delta-9 THC.
Recap of delta-8’s effects
It pained me to send this text to a fellow cannabis journalist: “I think I fuck with delta-8.” But here we are. It really does feel great.
I reviewed delta-8 gummies from Smokiez edibles a few months ago: They feel like a lighter, more manageable high than THC, and they’re also uplifting and energizing, like the work version of an exercise pre-supplement—they make you productive for hours at a time.
After smoking delta-8 Bubba Kush flower from Delta Extrax, I’m here to confirm that those delta-8 feelings are consistent.
I’ve smoked a whole lot of Bubba Kush in my time. Traditionally, it hits my head with a heavy stimulation that makes my thoughts fly all over the place. It’s not necessarily an uplifting type of head high like a Haze, but more of a “kick back and think about life” type of high that makes me want to relax into self-reflection. This is why I never smoke Bubba in the morning and always aim for after work for the day.
However, with the delta-8 version of Bubba Kush flower, I was able to smoke it during wake ‘n bakes and still be productive. It gave me all of the uplifting, mentally stimulating feelings of Bubba Kush without any of the potent relaxation that can sometimes be a little derailing.
Surprisingly, the effects hit a little heavier in the head than I’d expect from delta-8, after how mild the Smokiez experience was, but I attribute that to the difference in smoking flower versus eating edibles and how my body processed both.
All in all, it left me believing that delta-8 really might be the perfect cannabinoid for someone who can’t handle real weed but still wants to smoke.
How does delta-10 feel?
Many of the delta-10 products you see online are actually a mix of delta-8 and delta-10. Delta-10 is usually synthesized from CBD in very tiny amounts, so it’s extremely costly to make products that are solely delta-10.
I purchased the Tropical delta-8 + delta-10 gummies from Delta Extrax—delta-8 “enriched” by delta-10. Same with the Maui Wowie vape cartridge from Delta Extrax, which was made up of 70-75% delta-8, 15-20% delta-10, and 5-10% terpenes for taste.
After using both products, I’m sad to tell you: delta-10 didn’t hit for shit.
During my first trial, I started the day with delta-10 before consuming any other types of THC so I would really know how the high felt. I hit the Maui Wowie delta-10 vape cartridge in the morning and then ate the delta-8 + delta-10 Tropical gummies later in the evening.
With the vape cartridge, their site advises hitting it one or two times for tolerance. With me knowing how used to weed my body is, I decided to hit it 10 straight times. I figured 10x the recommended dose would provide extreme effects that would help me know exactly how delta-10 is supposed to feel, and what its purpose could be.
I ended up feeling pretty much nothing. Not even a slight change in my body that let me know there was a new substance inside of it. Delta-10 is advertised as the lightest of them all, but I still expected to feel a head rush of sorts. Nope.
Later, I ate six of the 40mg delta-10 + delta-8 gummies and the experience was satisfactory. Unlike the vape pen, the gummies did actually hit me with a slight head high that ended up giving my face an uncomfortable buzzy feeling.
However, I credit that to the delta-8 in the gummies more than the delta-10, considering the makeup of the products. Even with the delta-8 boost, delta-10 seems way too light for my liking.
The final call on delta-9, delta-8, and delta-10
In the end, though they are all THC, it is very clear that delta-8, delta-9, and delta-10 are all for different types of cannabis consumers. Delta-8 is great if you want to smoke some good weed in the daytime but don’t want to be sleepy and bogged down once the effects wear off. I can see myself implementing delta-8 into my morning cannabis ritual, once companies fine-tune the production of it.
In comparison to regular THC, delta-8 is definitely lighter and more manageable for the average cannabis consumer. Still, THC flower provides a whole plant experience and extractors have mastered creating vape carts and other concentrates from it. So with THC, or delta-9, you get a much wider range of legit products from trusted companies.
As far as delta-10 goes in the mix, perhaps I should try different products, but it feels like my body doesn’t really have a place for that cannabinoid. It just doesn’t need it. I like getting stoned and gauging the intensity of different strains from different growers. I enjoy the heavy relaxation of a strain like White Tahoe Cookies or the heavy uplifting feelings from a strain like Super Silver Haze.
With delta-10, even if I didn’t want the heaviness of those highs, I wouldn’t expect to get any of the other effects either. The Maui Wowie cart tasted sweet, and in the end, I think that was its most redeeming quality. But the lack of any intensity in the high left me never wanting to come back.
So perhaps instead of being for cannabis consumers, maybe delta-10 could be great for helping people wean off of cigarettes. People who find the act of smoking therapeutic but don’t want something that will degrade their health.
Ranking the types of THC, I would go: Delta-9 THC as the forever champion, delta-8 as a distant second that’s still worth acknowledging, and delta-10 as the default third.
Danté Jordan
Danté Jordan is a former member of the Leafly Subject Matter Expert team, and current freelance writer, video producer, and media consultant specializing in cannabis culture, strains, products, education, and everything else related to that lil’ green flower. Contact him at smokingwithdante on Instagram, or dantenetworks(at)gmail(dotcom). His website is www.dantejordan.com.
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