Ensure Compliance with Delta 8 Testing at ACS Laboratory
Delta 8 testing with ACS Laboratory ensures customers receive clean, safe, high-quality hemp products that have passed the most stringent compliance requirements. ACS’s National Hemp Testing Panel employs highly sensitive Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to quantify all THC forms accurately. It also meets all state standards, making it the most comprehensive Delta 8 testing option.
This article explains Delta 8 testing, erroneous testing practices, and how manufacturers can ensure accuracy and build credibility with ACS Laboratory’s advanced methods.
Delta 8 vs. Delta 9
Delta-8 THC is very similar to regular THC, aka Delta-9 THC. They are nearly identical from a molecular standpoint yet have some significant differences.
Structure: Delta 9 has a double carbon bond on its ninth atom, while Delta 8 has one on the eighth. This slight alteration causes Delta-8 to have a lower affinity for the CB1 receptor, making it about half as potent as Delta-9 THC.
Effects: Delta-8 is intoxicating like Delta-9 and provides many known benefits of regular THC, such as relaxation and appetite stimulation. Generally, Delta-8 produces a mild psychoactive experience that customers describe as calming and euphoric.
Manufacturing: Unlike Delta-9, which occurs naturally in high concentrations in cannabis plants, Delta-8 only occurs in trace amounts. As a result, most companies produce Delta 8 semi-synthetically by converting hemp-derived CBD through a chemical process called isomerization.
Legality: According to Farm Bill regulations, hemp-derived Delta 8 extracts are federally legal as long as they contain less than 0.3% Delta 9 THC by dry weight. This allows consumers to access the plant’s psychoactive properties, whether cannabis is legal in their state or not–except in places that have explicitly banned or restricted Delta-8.
Legal distinctions between Delta-8 and Delta-9 make it essential to accurately test potency for compliance purposes.
What is Delta 8 Testing?
Delta 8 testing is when third-party laboratories not affiliated with the manufacturer conduct various analyses to confirm the presence and concentration of Delta 8 in a product (its potency). Delta 8 testing also reports on other compounds in Delta 8 products, including:
- The presence and concentration of other cannabinoids and terpenes (especially Delta 9 THC)
- Heavy metals, such as cadmium, arsenic, lead, mercury
- Residual solvents
- Biological contaminants, such as mold and bacteria
Why is Independent Delta 8 Testing So Important?
Delta 8 testing is crucial for brands to ensure their products are legally sold and safe to consume.
Compliance is critical
Delta 8 is a federally legal cannabinoid as long as it doesn’t exceed 0.3% Delta 9 THC. Yet, in addition to federal compliance, various states, such as New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Utah, have enacted specific testing rules that hemp growers and brands must follow. Some of these programs are even more strict than federal USDA requirements. Delta 8 testing is the only way for hemp brands to know their products are legal to sell nationwide.
Product credibility and safety
Accurate Delta 8 testing improves the safety and credibility of Delta 8 products, which have a less-than-perfect reputation for reliability.
- The chemical process used to make Delta 8 extracts involves potentially harmful, dangerous solvents if not removed entirely.
- Misreporting Delta 8 or Delta 9 concentrations in final products means consumers might end up taking much more of a psychoactive drug than intended.
- In 2022, the FDA raised concerns after it received over 100 reports of adverse events in patients who consumed Delta 8 products.
Accurate Delta 8 testing is the only way to verify the purity and potency of Delta 8 products, alleviating safety concerns.
Issues with Inaccurate Delta 8 Testing
Unfortunately, inaccurate Delta 8 testing is relatively common, with several outlets reporting it as a prominent issue in the hemp industry.
- The Virginia Commonwealth University lab tested dozens of Delta 8 products and found an alarming need for more accurate labeling and quality control. Some contained up to 10 times more Delta 8 than the package claimed.
- A news outlet in Indiana sent various Delta 8 products for lab testing. It revealed many contained higher levels of Delta 9 THC than reported, which would make them illegal under Indiana and federal laws.
- A Forbes review also reported that Delta-8 brands routinely mislabel gummies, vaporizer cartridges, and other products. The results showed that 77% contained less Delta 8 than advertised, and 76% had more than 0.3% Delta 9.
Why is False Delta 8 Testing So Common?
Inaccurate lab results from Delta 8 testing can happen for various reasons, including faulty protocols, inexperience, and outright fraud.
Faulty protocols
Testing methods used to determine the potency and legality of Delta-8 products can yield significantly different results. Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC differ only by the placement of one double bond, making them difficult to separate. Additionally, the chemical process used to make Delta-8 can cause it to appear as a contaminant in the results, posing an additional challenge for labs. As a result, some methods fail to detect the actual amount of Delta-9 THC in the products.
Inexperienced laboratories
Many laboratories want to capitalize on the booming Delta 8 trend but often need more experience to use the instruments properly. Testing THC levels entails understanding advanced gas spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipment, and their usage varies for smokable hemp, edibles, oils, beverages, and nano-emulsions. Also, a lack of experience means testing methods might fail to align with industry standards, like those created by the Emerald Scientific Inter-Laboratory Comparison proficiency test.
Fraudulent test results
The Virginia Commonwealth University study found that many companies selling Delta 8 products faked or altered their lab results. According to the researchers, some labs nationwide never even opened the Delta 8 package and simply forged or copied a certificate of analysis (COA). Often, the QR code on a product label would bring up the COA of an entirely different product.
Accurate Delta 8 Testing with ACS Laboratory
ACS Laboratory, the largest state-of-the-art cannabis and hemp testing facility in the eastern United States, has a myriad of accreditations and accolades that make it a leader in Delta 8 testing, including:
- IEC/ISO 17025:2017 accredited for the ability and competence to provide testing and calibration results
- DEA-licensed
- Follows CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988) regulations for health assessment testing
- Has received 82 Emerald Badges for potency and purity accuracy (more rewards than any other lab in the USA)
- Investments in highly sensitive Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) as well as LCMS machinery to accurately quantify all THC forms at the lowest levels
The National Hemp Testing Panel
The National Hemp Testing Panel from ACS Laboratory is the most comprehensive Delta-8 test in the industry, covering:
- Delta-8 and 17 additional cannabinoids
- 105 pesticides
- 24 heavy metals
- 55 potential residual solvents
- 17 different microorganisms
- Every required mycotoxin
- Moisture content
- Water activity
- Terpenes (upon request)
ACS researched the fine print of every state’s rules for hemp sampling to create the ultimate Delta 8 testing solution, allowing brands to sell in any legal Delta 8 market confidently.
The Bottom Line
Delta 8 testing is critical to reduce liability risks from compliance and safety issues and build trust in Delta 8 products. By submitting samples for national panel testing, hemp growers, manufacturers, and processors can confidently sell their products without fear of recalls, negative press, or inadvertently selling illegal drugs.
ACS Laboratory analyzes more cannabinoids than most laboratories in the country and offers sophisticated testing methods to verify THC levels in all its forms, including Delta-8.
Brands looking to stay on top of safety and quality standards can contact ACS Laboratory for Delta 8 testing options today.
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