LET’S HASH OUT DELT∆-8 by Morgan Cole | photos by Guy Stevens
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elta-8-THC delivers a hemp-based high without paranoia or anxiety—all while being completely legal. This popular hemp-cannabis derivative is flying off the shelves at local smoke shops, dispesaries and cannabis stores. Delta-8 is closely related to Delta-9-THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis known to provide the effects of being high.
Delta-8 is derived from pot’s legal cousin, hemp. The hemp-based derrivative makes Delta-8 legal under the 2018 Farm Bill that governs the production, sale and use of legal hemp products. While experts say Delta-8 can deliver a high that’s milder, but similar to regular cannabis, it’s currently lawful to sell, possess and use. This federal legalization is making Delta-8 the most talked about product in the hemp industry. While the recreational use of marijuana remains illegal under state law, local sellers say that Delta-8 is seeing dramatic growth in sales. When Pensacola-natives Frank DeRise and Blake Hammac noticed other companies taking the plunge into the Delta-8 market—and returning a huge profit despite Florida’s heavily regulated medical marijuana industry—the duo saw the 16 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM
potential for profit and launched Pensacola’s first Delta-8 cannabis shop. Located at 503 North Navy Blvd. in Pensacola, Legal Leaf offers a variety of Delta-8 gummies, smokeables, canned drinks, vaping options and other hemp products, including CBD. Unlike medical marijuana, consumers are not required to have a medical card for any of the products found at Legal Leaf. DeRise and Hammac emphasize that these products can help those in the community who may suffer from medical issues, pain or anxiety. For those that may not have the resources to access medical marijuana, Legal Leaf provides a legal alternative to access THC products. “We saw the need for this type of product in our local market and wanted to make legal THC products more available to those who couldn’t or preferred not to get it from a traditional medical dispensary,” Frank DeRrise, co-owner of Legal Leaf said. “There’s a lot of individuals who could be helped by having access to legal THC without a card. There is an unseen cap on the medical marijuana side for Florida. It’s expensive to acquire a medical card and not everyone can afford that.”
In addition to being more readily available than medical marijuana competitors, Legal Leaf offers a variety of consumption forms. Products range from concentrates to edibles but also include non-traditional varieties of Delta-8 products, such as canned THC infused soda. The most popular products are reportedly the standard flower with edibles coming in as a close second. Legal Leaf does not currently participate in the manufacturing process of Delta-8; however, all of their products are acquired from reputable vendors that provide copies of lab tests and comprehensive lists of the active ingredients contained in each of the products. As for the future of Legal Leaf, the owners have plans to open up a second location in the near future and plan to expand into a mobile vending operation that the owners refer to as a “Cannabus.” Both DeRise and Hammac look forward to potentially expanding this independent LLC into a multi-state franchise.
Downtown Crowd consulted with local experts to get the scoop on everything you need to know about this hot new THC product. So if you’re intrigued, but also a little confused, it’s high time you check out the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding Delta-8-THC.
