Delta-8 THC is quite a hot topic nowadays. Some states have embraced the production and distribution of this lesser-known form of THC. Other states, meanwhile, have added d8 to the list of banned substances. With so many laws in so many places, it’s hard to keep track of where delta-8 is available.
This kind of confusion is all too common thanks to all of the legal gray zones that delta-8 seems to inhabit. Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, any hemp plant that is grown producing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC is federally legal. Delta-8 is a different chemical compound, and thus protected by the very specific wording used in the bill.
Now, the decision of delta-8’s legal status is up to each individual state. What we’re left with are local laws that may or may not ban delta-8. Or, even just have it regulated, albeit fairly strictly.
Where is Delta-8 Available Legally?
Where is delta-8 allowed to be sold to consumers? This covers all forms of delta-8, from smokable hemp flower in its raw form to edibles and vape cartridges. Each state has its own take on delta-8 THC and that drops it into one of three categories:
- Legal
- Gray area or heavily regulated
- Illegal and banned
It’s always good to know if you’re in a super-regulated or banned d8 area. To cut down on confusion, we’ve done the sleuthing for you to find out where delta-8 is available nationwide.
As a disclaimer, please make sure to do additional research for your specific area. State laws can change, and while we do our best to keep this updated, it never hurts to double-check.
What States Have Banned Delta-8?
There are at least 19 states that have restricted, banned, or strictly regulated delta-8. Other states are likely reviewing the cannabinoid’s current legal status for them. The following states have banned the minor cannabinoid:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Kentucky
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- Michigan
- North Dakota
That list might look daunting, but it only makes up less than half the US.
This means more places than not allow delta-8 in one form or another. Hopefully, we’ll see more states expand their laws to accept d8. More people will be allowed to decide for themselves if delta-8 is something they want to experience.
Which States Regulate D8 THC?
These are the states that put the same style of regulation on delta-8 that they did on delta-9 THC. More and more states are expected to take this route instead of leaving the fate of delta-8 unknown. As it stands, you have to get your delta-8 products from licensed cannabis stores in these states:
- Connecticut
- Michigan
Each of these two states has slightly varied wording on what defines their THC laws. But the end result is the same. An adult of legal age is allowed to buy delta-8 THC products from licensed dispensaries.
It’s a pretty uniform way to handle delta-8 THC. For states that already allow people to buy THC-based products, it can flow seamlessly with the existing infrastructure. More states are likely to follow suit in the near future.
What States are in the Gray Zone?
The states in this list currently have mixed signals when it comes to their stance on delta-8. It’s not completely clear where they stand! Some have laws that make it situationally okay or even illegal under wide-definition laws that have unclear wording.
These states have nothing definitive making d8 fully illegal or legal. This may impact the shipping of delta-8 products to customers in these states. Only time will tell if they jump on board with the delta-8 craze:
- California
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- Arizona
- Kentucky
Hopefully, as cannabis is more accepted across the mainstream, these states will settle on something that works for everyone.
Which States Have Legalized Delta-8?
Finally, this last list covers the states where purchasing delta-8 products is fairly straightforward. Here, we see states that have moved to capitalize on hemp as an available cash crop.
This is an ideal position for states to take, not just for d8 THC, but for all types of hemp products. It’s appreciated to see these states put the decision to enjoy hemp into their citizens’ hands:
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- and New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington D.C.
Side Note: Does Delta-8 Get You High?
In short, yes — it’s still THC, after all. However, it’s not the same high you get with delta-9 THC, the THC most abundant in marijuana. A marijuana high will still be much more intense and likely set in faster. The impact is usually felt within the first few seconds and hits full blast soon after.
Users report that delta-8 provides a much more mellow, slow climb of an experience. Often it can take upwards of 30 minutes to 2 hours before the full impact has set in. Even so, the experience is less of a rollercoaster and more of a chill ride you can enjoy.
Newcomers and cannabis users that experience anxious symptoms from THC-heavy marijuana strains benefit from delta-8. Instead of the jolting journey marijuana provides, it’s an easy way into the world of cannabis. D8 THC is perfect for users to have a much gentler first time using hemp to get high.
What is a Delta-8 High Like?
Delta-8 has been described as a more euphoric and less intense experience compared to traditional delta-9. The ramp-up is often said to be happier and mood-boosting. It’s followed by a manageable mellow that still allows the user to function in day-to-day life.
That means that, especially for first-timers, the intensity marijuana is known for is nowhere to be found. The high is less about becoming a part of the furniture, and more about being able to relax and unwind.
This experience is universal for all delta-8 products from delta-8 flower to edibles and oils. But like any intoxicant, there can be too much of a good thing. Using too much could still heighten the impact to leave you drowsy or even nauseous. To have the best experience possible start with a single dose and work your way up low and slow.
Is Delta-8 Sold in Stores?
It absolutely is! As long as the state allows the production and sale of delta-8. Delta-8 has become a very available and hot commodity for dispensaries.
The hemp-based form of THC allows cannabis newcomers to enjoy a high that isn’t too intense. In addition, it allows those seeking specific health benefits to sample it and see if it helps their particular issue.
However, this only applies to the states we listed where delta-8 has been legalized. Some of the gray area states may have sales available under particular circumstances, so be sure to double-check your state. It really depends on where you are, and where you’re trying to buy from.
It’s important to know who’s selling the d8 THC and if they’re allowed to in your state. The last thing you want is to be taken for a ride and end up on the wrong side of red tape just because the information wasn’t readily available.
Here at Ounce of Hope, our aim is always transparency and honesty. We do our best to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting and how we got it. That way you can enjoy hemp products without the fear of legal trouble.
Can I Legally Order Delta-8 Online?
This is a very important question! As far as states that have legalized the sale of delta-8, there are definitely options available for online orders. With delta-8 rising in popularity, and protection emanating from the 2018 Farm Bill, there are plenty of online delta-8 brands.
That doesn’t mean all sites are created equal, nor are all sites equally trustworthy. This is still a young field and some people are trying to capitalize on the new craze surrounding delta-8.
Source your flower, edibles, or other delta-8 products from reliable, trusted sources. Your search needs to be thorough and the ability to prove the product’s legality as clear-cut as possible. We’ll get into that more shortly to make sure your online shopping experience is smooth and, most importantly, legal.
What to Consider When Buying Delta-8 Online
There is a wide range of quality when it comes to any online purchase, especially for things you plan to put inside your body. The fact that you are going to ingest something, be it in a smoke form or edible or some kind, makes it doubly important to cross-check EVERYTHING about the product.
This means knowing how it’s grown, how it’s processed, if anything is added, and how it’s stored. Each and every step along the way can impact the product and change things from flavor to safety.
Where is the Best Place to Get Delta-8 THC?
Quality is everything when it comes to what goes into your body. Everything from water to medication all need to be as high-quality as possible to ensure everyone involved is safe. With this in mind, there are some things to take into consideration when it comes to sourcing your d8 products.
- How is the product manufactured?
- Where are the ingredients sourced from?
- What type of packaging does it come in?
All of these variables and more can either enhance or deteriorate the end product.
When it comes to quality, value, and experience not all retailers are equal. Oftentimes, if regulations aren’t concrete in law, producers may feel they have certain liberties they can take without informing customers.
That’s why transparency is such a big aspect of our brand. We always attempt to go above and beyond to ensure our customers have access to quality hemp-derived products.
So, while it may sound a bit biased, we recommend you give our delta-8 products a chance. Our passionate family and staff are dedicated to a quality you can’t get with other brands. Earnestly, we aim to be the standard that every other dispensary and online hemp shop should meet.
Why Ounce of Hope?
Allow us to count the reasons why Ounce of Hope should come first as a delta-8 THC brand.
From start to finish, our products are crafted to be as clean and efficient as possible without cutting corners.
We utilize a dedicated aquaponics farm to grow our cannabis. This means a perfect balance of water life and plant life working in symbiosis to maximize every aspect of both.
It works like this:
Aquaponics is an agricultural process that revolves around raising fish in tanks. Soilless plant cultures are positioned at the top. The nutrient-rich water from raising fish provides a natural fertilizer for the plants. In turn, it helps purify the water for the fish.
The grow method doubles as insurance that no outside elements can be introduced to “help” either party. Antibiotics and other additives for fish would cause damage to the crop. This stops the fish from having anything detrimental in their system. On the same note, things like pesticides and herbicides are not used because they would harm the fish.
The two work in tandem to protect and provide for each other. This is one of the safest and most natural ways of raising fish and farming cannabis crops.
Along with the natural, healthy benefits listed above, an aquaponics setup has a much faster turnaround time for harvest. We can harvest our hemp at least 6 times per year because the entire ecosystem cuts the growth time almost in half. None of our currently available products are more than a few months old.
When it comes to a clean, reliable, verified source of hemp, we make it a point to set the standard.
Our Favorite Delta-8 Products
We get asked pretty often what our personal favorite delta-8 products are. And that’s not such an easy decision for us to make. Each delta-8 product we offer serves a different purpose and caters to different types of people.
Some people want something sweet, or snack-like, which might make them lean towards one of our edible delta-8 snacks.
Someone else may just prefer hemp in its traditional bud form. Smoking delta-8 flower feels familiar, so it’s a safe bet for some users.
Then there are the tinctures and oils as well as the vitamin-style gummies for quick on-the-go supplementation. Our whole spectrum of delta-8 products is designed to cater to an extremely wide audience.
Nevertheless, a few products do tend to stand out and have made a name for themselves. That goes for not only with our very satisfied customers but with our team members here at home. Let’s take a look at some of our favorite delta-8 products so far.
Delta-8 Milk Chocolate Bar
This particular product became a fast favorite with customers local and far. Our Delta 8 Milk Chocolate bar is perfect for those who love chocolate on the sweeter side of the spectrum.
One of the best parts of our delta-8 milk chocolate bar is that the chocolate itself is pre-scored. (The picture shown is of our sample square, not a full chocolate bar.) Break up the perfectly squared sections to enjoy throughout the day!
With no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, this chocolate bar tastes like a delicious, top-shelf treat. There’s also the added benefit of a nice mellow day thanks to its effects.
Delta-8 Gummies
For those who want something sweet but chocolate isn’t your thing, there are still options available! Our Delta 8 Gummies are a bestseller for a reason.
Sometimes great things do come in small packages. Our gummies fit that description to a tee. These small, deliciously sweet, potent gummies are fast-acting and easy to eat since they don’t have a traditional hempy aftertaste.
Our delta-8 gummies come in packs of 4, 20, and 40. Each individual gummy packs 20mg of delta-8 THC. That means the 20 count pack contains an amazing 400mg total of delta-8 THC giving you a nice long supply of the perfect chewy mellow.
The gummies themselves don’t hold up so well to heat, so we try to be preemptive and freeze them before they ship. We also ship our gummies with cold packs to ensure they reach you in peak condition and are ready to eat.
D8 Brownie Bites
Maybe baked goods are more your speed. Plenty of our staff and customers prefer the taste and texture of a traditional brownie, so we’ve got you covered.
We already had a stellar delta-8 extract and an award-worthy brownie recipe. The next logical step was to put them together! Thus, our Delta 8 Brownie Bites were born. Each individual package contains 4 delicious bites, and each brownie has 12.5mg of delta-8. The brownies also contain an assortment of other cannabinoids and hemp compounds to help further the entourage effect.
This makes them the perfect little dessert or snack. It’s small enough to not feel guilty over but strong enough to carry you until your next snack time. A fan favorite amongst our regulars, after you try them you’ll understand why.
Delta-8 SŪRP
A new contender in our lineup, it’s quickly making a name for itself. Our Delta 8 SŪRP offers some unique versatility to our line.
Right out of the bottle, SŪRP is ready to go like any other liquid supplement. Just a quick spoonful could help you sleep if insomnia has a shackle on you. With flavors like strawberry and grape, the process should feel extremely familiar.
But that isn’t the only way to use our SŪRP.
Mix it up with some juice and freeze for a nice alternative to ice. Or, stick some toothpicks in the ice tray with it and make some homemade popsicles. SŪRP also mixes well in drinks directly, letting you add a delightful buzz to just about anything.
And while it may look like cough medicine, it doesn’t taste like it. No worries about the aftertaste that may or may not collectively haunt all of our childhoods.
The best part is the half and half nature of SŪRP. With 50mg of CBD and 50mg of delta-8 THC per bottle, you get a strong overlap. You get all the benefits of both thanks to the entourage effect with cannabinoids. D8 is the perfect remedy for sleepless nights or de-stressing after a hard day.
While we’ve covered a few of the food-centric items we carry in our Delta-8 lineup, we provide more than that. We also carry traditional flower and even vape cartridges for those looking to smoke/vape their delta-8 instead.
Delta-8 Flower
For all the old-school smokers who want to get in on the delta-8 hype, our flower shines. We infuse our hemp flower with delta-8 THC to create various strains. So, we grow our hemp like usual, then add delta-8 distillate across. And thus, Delta-8 Flower strains are born.
The end product is a traditional approach to a new buzz. Thanks to the concentrated delta-8, the effects are noticeable and pleasant without being overbearing. This would be the closest experience to traditional marijuana in terms of use and experience.
A major difference between Delta-8 flower and normal marijuana is the type of high they offer. The psychoactive impact of delta-8 is much slower to set on and not nearly as intense. White CBG, Hawaiian Haze, and other delta-8 flower strains offer a less stressful way to enjoy a buzz without THC in marijuana.
This is also a good entry point for those unfamiliar with cannabis and its intoxicating effects. If you’ve always wanted to try cannabis but you’re nervous, this could be the middle ground for the opportunity.
Lemon Runtz Delta-8 Vape Cartridge
As we wrap up our list of personal recommendations, we can’t help but to boast our delta-8 vape cartridges. No matter how you want to experience delta-8, we have an option for you.
To that end, and on personal preference, is our Lemon Runtz Delta-8 vape cartridge. It’s a hybrid with a fruity profile that smells and tastes just like a certain, familiar candy, which is precisely where it got its name.
In addition, Lemon Runtz is a visibly appealing strain. Its resin-drenched buds range in color from a rich purple to bright lime green. Before extracting the delta-8 within, the strain looks picture perfect. Lemon Runtz is well-known for its long-lasting euphoric, uplifting effects.
Final Thoughts
If you were wondering, “where is delta-8 available near me?”, we hope we were able to answer your question. D8 THC is a popular type of hemp compound, with brands releasing new products every day. Be sure you know where and how to get reliable delta-8 products before you decide to buy. Browse through our delta-8 products today to see which you want to try first!