Is it weed? Delta edibles, blunts, and vapes explained

Are Delta blunts, edibles or vapes weed? No, according to Jason Papotto, owner of Delta Dispensary in Surfside Beach.

Delta dispensaries are popping up all over the Grand Strand. People 21 and over can go legally buy Delta products in South Carolina even though marijuana, medical or not, is not legal. They are made in many different forms. Some forms are smoke-able and some forms are edible.

Dispensary owner discusses science and legality of Delta

“It is cannabis, though,” Papotto said. “Cannabis splits marijuana and hemp. Marijuana is grown to have high THC content and hemp is grown to have high CBD content. ... Delta 9 is what you’re buying in legal states. That’s what you’re buying when you’re buying marijuana. Delta 9 is the most potent and Delta 8 is about 60% as potent.”

Marijuana is not legal in South Carolina. Papotto is able to sell Delta 9 products in his store legally.

“The actual marijuana has to be less than .3% of the weight of the product. So we sell gummies that weigh exactly 1,000 milligrams and .3% of that gummy, or 30 milligrams of it, is Delta 9,” Papotto said.

WebMD says that THC is “the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. It’s what makes people feel ‘high.’ ... CBD doesn’t cause that high. Instead, it’s thought to work with other elements in the body linked to feelings of well-being.”

Will Delta variants get you high? It depends.

“A lot of people say they like this better because it’s not so strong. It’s like the weed from 20 years ago,” Papotto said. “A lot of older folks like it. We get people in here of all different ages. A lot of them are not looking to get high, they are just looking to feel better from insomnia and anxiety and stuff like that.”

Like alcohol, one’s level of intoxication, or how high one will get in this case, will depend on how much one ingests with consideration of one’s body weight and tolerance, according to Papotto.

“We always tell people they gotta use this stuff responsibly like they would with drinking,” Papotto said.

There are risks to taking Delta variants

Delta variants are not for everyone and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these legal Delta products.

The FDA also notes that some users report having adverse effects after ingesting variants. Some reported effects include “hallucinations, vomiting, tremor, anxiety, dizziness, confusion, and loss of consciousness.”