MJBizMag February 2022 - 37

" When you're able to put a product
on the shelf that doesn't have very
much regulatory oversight, that
trickles down to the safety and efficacy
of that product, " Makoso said. " You're
going to get these cases where lessthan-scrupulous
manufacturers are
creating products with very little
concern for what's in them. "
Fox agreed: " The real problem is
not necessarily the substance itself,
but how it's being produced. The fact
that it's being made almost entirely
in unregistered, unregulated labs is
really problematic. "
In Louisiana, where New Orleansbased
CBD and D-8 company Crescent
Canna operates, third-party lab testing
is mandatory. It's something David
Reich, the company's chief marketing
officer, said is important.
" What hurts the business is when you
have unsafe products on the market, "
Reich said.
" Frankly, it's a pretty low bar to send
products that you're manufacturing into
a third-party lab for testing, " he said. " If
you're making safe products, you should
not have a problem doing that. "
What's Ahead for D-8
Some licensed marijuana companies
believe that interest in D-8 will fade
once state-legal cannabis arrives in
markets where it is now illegal.
For one thing, cannabis consumers
generally prefer to buy regulated and
tested products.
Another concern is economics.
" From a production standpoint, I
have to imagine that it's more costeffective
to extract delta-9 THC from
cannabis plants than it is to extract
CBD from hemp and then put it
through massive chemical changes in
order to make a new product, " Fox said.
" It's only competitive now because the
people that are making it don't have to
deal with the same regulatory burdens
that people who are licensed and
legally producing delta-9 do. "
He believes the market for delta-8
THC will disappear when the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration better
regulates CBD and gives producers
more avenues through which to unload
their products.
" When you give people more
avenues through which to be able to
sell and market their CBD products,
I think we're going to see a dramatic
decrease in the amount of D-8
production, " Fox said.
THC Harmony
Not everyone believes D-8 will be outpaced
by marijuana, regardless of the
legal framework.
Reich at Crescent Canna said he
doesn't want delta-8 to be perceived as
a competitor to the traditional licensed
cannabis industry.
" We believe that the two can
absolutely coexist, and we see delta-8
One of the D-8 offerings at Cleveland Botanical Destination is a gummy infused with
another lab-made cannabinoid: delta-10 THC. Courtesy Photo
Jim
Makoso
THC as an important evolution of
the cannabis industry. I can see why
some would consider it a threat, but
we believe it's an opportunity to really
expand access ... especially in markets
that don't yet have a legal marijuana
industry, " Reich said.
Jarboe, who produces both CBD
and D-8, sees a future where many
more cannabinoids are available
in commercial amounts and
where manufacturers will be able
to " manipulate different ratios of
cannabinoids " to create products that
target specific effects for the consumer.
Of course, that will be possible
only after state and federal regulators
decide how to regulate cannabinoids
other than delta-9 THC, something
Jarboe believes will happen sooner
rather than later.
" In three to five years, they're going
to have to lump all cannabinoids
together, " he predicted.
" Because D-8 hit, you have wellheeled
companies that have money
and really good organic chemists
trying to find the next D-8. There
are literally hundreds of millions
of dollars being spent right now
exploring the minor cannabinoids, "
Jarboe said. " That's what's going on
now. And, so, yes, it's exciting. "
mjbizdaily.com | February 2022 37
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