Can you eat THC distillate?

In this article, we will answer the question “Can you eat THC distillate?” and discuss what are the effects of eating THC distillate.

Can you eat THC distillate?

Yes, you can eat THC distillate. THC distillate may be ingested. A number of commercially marketed cannabis edibles include distillate as a component. 

Should you eat THC distillate?

No, you should not eat THC distillate. The use of concentrated products, such as THC distillates and others, may have negative effects on health. 

According to studies, higher strength concentrated products may be associated with long-term consequences in terms of higher drug exposure and greater risk for dependence, pointing to a need to examine enduring effects on neurobiology, mental health, and behavior in concentrate users. 

Concentrate users from another US survey reported higher rates of both tolerance and withdrawal as compared to flower users and those from a survey of college students reported higher physiological dependence (4). 

What is THC distillate?

THC distillate is produced from the extraction of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) from cannabis. Distillation is a process for separating a homogeneous liquid mixture into its components via the vapor phase. 

The mixture is heated to create two phases, gas and liquid. More volatile components transfer into the gas phase which can then be separated and condensed to collect the distillate (1).

The thick oil-like substance is available in a range of colors, from clear to amber. Plant lipids and terpenes are all removed in the distillation process, and since each cannabinoid vaporizes at a different temperature, manufacturers may simply manage the process to extract only one particular cannabinoid. 

How is THC Distillate Made?

Distinctive equipment has been used for the distillation of cannabis-derived products. The distillation process entails heating the crude oil derived from cannabis until it vaporizes and then collecting those vapors and the cannabinoids in them. 

The finished product might be a transparent, viscous substance containing approximately 100% THC as a consequence of distillation. 

However, studies show that these products contain impurities. ∆-8 THC is synthesized from CBD by a ring closure reaction often involving harsh reaction conditions. As with many organic syntheses, it is prone to side reactions. 

A recent mass spectrometry-based analysis of (∆-8 THC) products reported finding a number of unknown impurities in these products. Vaporizer cartridges and distillates are often sold with certificates of analysis (COA) to serve as a guide to the consumer about product purity. 

However, the methods of analysis are sometimes missing in the COA (3).

What are the effects of eating THC distillate?

Consuming THC distillate may lead to many negative effects on your health. 

With regard to physiological effects, THC produces an increased heart rate, reddened eyes, and a dry mouth. As for psychotropic effects, a mild euphoria, an enhanced sensory perception, fatigue, and eventually dysphoria together with anxiety have been observed. 

The following dose dependent effects were observed in clinical studies, both in vivo (i.e. in living organisms) and in vitro (i.e. in laboratory dishes): 

  • Psyche and perception: fatigue, euphoria, enhanced well-being, dysphoria, anxiety, disturbed orientation, increased sensory perception and enhanced sexual experience, hallucinations, psychotic states. 
  • Cognitive and psychomotoric performance: fragmented thinking, enhanced creativity, disturbed memory, unsteady walk, slurred speech. 
  • Nervous system: attenuation of pain, muscle relaxation, appetite enhancement, decrease in body temperature, vomiting, antiemetic effects, neuroprotective effects in brain ischemia. 
  • Cardiovascular system: increased heart rate, enhanced heart activity and increase in oxygen demand, vasodilation, reduced blood pressure, collapse. 
  • Eye: reddened conjunctiva, reduced tear flow, reduced intraocular pressure. 
  • Respiratory system: bronchodilation, dry mouth. Gastrointestinal tract: reduced bowel movements. 
  • Hormonal system: effects on luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, prolactine, somatotropin, TSH, reduced sperm count and sperm mobility and quality, suppressed ovulation and suppressed menstruation. 
  • Immune system: impairment of cell-mediated and humoral immunity, anti-inflammatory and immune stimulating effects. 
  • Fetal development: fetal malformations, fetal growth retardation, impairment to fetal and postnatal cerebral development, improved postnatal development (2).

Therefore, the ingestion of THC distillate should be avoided.

Conclusion

In this article, we answered the question “Can you eat thc distillate?” and we discussed what are the effects of eating thc distillate.

Reference

  1. Teräsvalli, Heini. Extraction and purification of cannabidiol. 2020. Lappeenranta University Of Technology.
  2. Grotenhermen, Franjo, Gero Leson, and Petra Pless. Assessment of exposure to and human health risk from THC and other cannabinoids in hemp foods. Leson Environmental Consulting, Berkeley. 2001.
  3. Ray, Colleen L., et al. Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol product impurities. Molecules, 2022, 27, 6924.
  4. Bidwell, L. Cinnamon, et al. Exploring cannabis concentrates on the legal market: User profiles, product strength, and health-related outcomes. Addict behav rep, 2018, 8, 102-106.

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