A legislative committee is drafting a bill that would schedule Delta-8 THC in both its natural and synthetic forms.
Wyoming Rep. Ember Oakley, R-Riverton, initiated the discussion during a Joint Judiciary Committee meeting last month, asking state officials if they could “discuss the Delta-8 situation.”
“I want to understand what the issue is … so then we can solve it,” Oakley said.
Natural vs. synthetic
Sarah Barrett with the State Crime Laboratory explained that Delta-8 TH`C is an isomer of Delta-9 THC – the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
Wyoming does not currently “attach a schedule” to Delta-8 THC because it occurs naturally “in very small amounts” in the hemp plant, Barrett said – but state officials believe most of the Delta-8 THC sold in stores is “synthetically created from CBD.”
The State Crime Lab can’t differentiate between synthetic and naturally occurring Delta-8 THC, however, Barrett said, recommending that Wyoming schedulethe substance regardless of its origin.
“Delta-8 does have impairing qualities,” she said. “It is psychoactive like Delta-9, to a slightly lesser degree.”
The State Crime Lab is currently unable to measure the amount of Delta-8 THC present in a commercial product, Barrett noted, but given enough time, her team could come up with a “validated method to be able to” do that.
At the end of last month’s meeting, state staffers said they would draft a bill to schedule Delta-8 THC regardless of its origin.
The Judiciary Committee’s next meeting is scheduled to take place Sept. 18-19 in Casper.