Delta 8’s story begins about 28 million years ago, in the high plateaus of Tibet. Scientists believe the first cannabis plant appeared there way back when wooly mammoths still roamed the area. Over the eons, cannabis spread throughout much of what would later become the Asian and African continents.
At some point during its evolution, cannabinoids like Delta 8 and Delta 9-THC provided the plant natural protection against its environment, its climate, and herbivores. Then, about 2700 years ago, humans began cultivating cannabis for its various uses, such as for making clothes, rope, sails, medicines, and its inclusion in religious rituals.
Although Delta 8 is marketed as a “new cannabinoid,” scientists have known about it for decades. In the 1940s, Dr. Roger Adams, the first chemist to propose that cannabis produces THC and CBD, was also one of the first to discover Delta 8. Adams also devised a method for synthesizing Delta 8, but he never completed the recipe. About two decades later, another university’s team would complete Adams’s work.
Starting in the 1960s, the renowned Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his research team at the University of Tel Aviv identified and characterized THC, CBD, and Delta 8, among many other cannabinoids. Mechoulam’s team, as well as the US government, have also patented several methods for extracting, converting, and creating cannabinoid products.
A few years ago, a patented process for converting CBD to Delta 8 became available for public use. With patent restrictions expired, adventurous hemp companies dove head-first into the Delta 8 space, which is how we got to where we are today.
Today, Delta 8 products are almost entirely made from hemp extracts. People dab, vape, eat or drink Delta 8 for its unique psychoactive effects, which are more potent than CBD but less potent than THC. If you’re looking for Delta 8 goodness packed with flavorful, aromatic terpenes, Steve’s Goods is the spot.