If you’re like a lot of people right now, you might be wondering what the deal is with the latest craze going around. Delta 8 is a compound which has been storming headlines and flying off of shelves for months.Delta 8, or Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, is derived from marijuana in two main ways. It can be simply extracted from the plant, although this isn’t ideal. It makes up about 1% of the chemical makeup of the average cannabis plant, so companies trying to establish a viable line of Delta 8 products typically stick with the other common method.
The preferred technique revolves around creating an isomer of CBD, another weed product that’s been popular for a while. The word “isomer” means that a compound is rearranged so that its molecules are in different positions.After plying it with an acid or base to make a few more minor changes, the isomer converts to Delta 8.
That’s great, but what’s the big deal?
The big deal is that Delta 8 is becoming regarded by users as a respectable alternative to other marijuana products. Its configuration allows the compound to bind to the same receptors as marijuana, but in a less effective manner. It still produces a buzz, but at a more manageable level, and without the negative psychological effects that are sometimes associated with consuming cannabis. Delta 8 can be inserted into a dizzying list of different items, including but not limited to:
- Distillates
- Isolates
- Tinctures
- Vape Carts
- Candies
- Beverages
- Lotions
- Diffusers
- Candles
The list goes on!
What’s the legal status of Delta 8?
This is where things get tricky. Originally, marijuana and any of its constituents were illegal to own, use, manufacture, or sell. Then states began legalizing medical and/or recreational marijuana. This led to the ramping up of cannabis-based interstate commerce, although it was still slow going for a number of reasons. To this day, financial institutions that are in the cannabis industry or thinking about jumping are wary of running afoul of federal regulatory bodies. Congress has been slowly alleviating these concerns through legislation. As the realm of cannabis becomes more legitimate, more experimentation and research has been conducted. That’s how Delta 8 got to where it is today.
A landmark 2018 agriculture bill federally legalized all hemp and hemp products which are not in excess of 0.3% THC concentration. There’s still plenty of debate about the fallout from this enactment. Regardless, companies have taken this as the green light to start shipping massive amounts of Delta 8 products across the country.Individual states are abstaining from allowing Delta 8 within their borders. To that end, the following states do not allow Delta 8 to be shipped across their lines:
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Mississippi
- Utah
- Vermont
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Montana
- Alabama
This is a rapidly developing situation. It is important to thoroughly consult local, state, and federal laws to determine your exposure in dealing with Delta 8 as a customer, a business entity, or both. Shipping in bulk can naturally bring more attention, so most organizations dealing in bulk deals will adopt a few measures. For example, they are often tight-lipped about their prices and offers, to avoid being scalped by the competition. Some like to be contacted directly by email with a pitch for what sort of deal could take place. Some companies that ship bulk Delta 8 specify that they prefer to deal with a small number of different kinds of outlets, including:
- Farmers
Farmers, people who run co-ops, and the brokers for these kinds of people often need to purchase huge amounts of natural products.
- Retail Outlets
This is one of the oldest business relationships, that of a wholesaler/bulk dealer and retail entity.
- Research/Medical Institutes
These are the sorts of places that make products like Delta 8 viable for commerce in the first place. It’s natural for them to need a lot of product to work with.
With all that out of the way, let’s get into what shipping Delta 8 in bulk looks like on the ground right now.
Bulk Delta 8
Some companies are already specializing in producing bulk amount of Delta 8 goods at wholesale prices. For example, you might see a website offer wholesale pricing on over five kilograms of raw goods such as distillate. Another page can offer 50 kilograms of distillate! You’ll notice some of the more enterprising businesses will have different packaging depend on the amount of product being shipped. One company’s bulk orders use glass jars with a special ultraviolet tinting to prevent deterioration for anything over 100 grams.
Browsing through multiple companies’ webpages reveals that Delta 8 flower products will often sell at between $300 and $800 for a pound. Bulk shipments of distillate (anything from an ounce to 100 grams or more) can come in special containers designed for heat baths. This is beneficial because heat is sometimes used to activate cannabis products. Delta 8 THC oil is being sold in increments of over a thousand grams, for prices in the low thousands. These deals can seem so pricey upfront that bulk shipping might not seem worth the effort, but that need not be the case. It is up to the customer to completely break down the price points being presented.
The opportunity of significant savings exists on a per-gram scale, depending on the nature of supply and demand.
The infrastructure for the cannabis industry is growing by billions of dollars. This means that bulk shipping for Delta 8 may become much more prominent in the future. If you’re interested, start doing research today.