There are many ways to enjoy the cognitive benefits of delta 8 THC, but none of them gets even close to vaping when it comes to efficacy, convenience, and ease of use.
Being legal on a federal level, delta 8 THC vape carts have quickly become one of the most desired forms of cannabis use.
However, today’s delta 8 THC market is similar to where the CBD segment was not that long ago. Many great companies are offering high-quality products. Still, there’s also an equal number of sketchy companies who aren’t interested in anything more than reaping the profits off a booming industry.
In this article, we’ll show you how to buy delta 8 THC vape carts to ensure you’re getting certified and safe products.
We’ll also provide our own recommendations on the best delta 8 THC vape carts for 2022.
Top 3 Delta 8 THC Vape Cartridges
- Area52 Delta 8 Vape Cartridges
- Finest Labs Delta 8 Vape Cartridges
- Arete Hemp Delta 8 Vape Cartridges
1. Area52
Area52 is a relatively new company, but they’ve done a decent job making the delta 8 THC market a better place with their premium-quality products. The guys at Area52 specialize in delta 8 THC distillates sourced from organic hemp. In addition, they offer products like delta 8 THC oils, gummies, and vape carts.
You can choose from three types of delta 8 THC vape carts — each containing strain-specific cannabis terpenes to ensure a more complex profile of effects and suit different types of consumers.
For example, the Pineapple Express vape cart features 900 mg of pure delta 8 combined with terpenes from the Pineapple Express strain. As a Sativa-dominant product, this vape cart delivers a jolt of positive energy, improves concentration, and spurs creativity aside from elevating your mood; this is a great option for daytime users.
There’s also the Granddaddy Purple cart that contains the same amount of delta 8 THC but is mixed with different terpenes; they have been extracted from the Granddaddy Purple strain, which is an Indica-dominant flower. Therefore, the effects are better suited for evening use, especially considering the physical relaxation and slightly sedative properties.
Last but not least, you can choose a hybrid vape cart that is based on the Berry Gelato strain. This is the best product if you’re looking for a good middle ground between the effects provided by Sativa and Indica strains.
The only issue I’ve had with this brand was that they don’t post their lab reports publicly. So you need to reach out to their customer service, but on a positive note, this was the fastest response that we’ve got in my whole experience as a cannabis customer.
2. Finest Labs
Finest Labs is a California-based brand that offers delta 8 THC tinctures, gummies, and vape carts. The general product lineup is very similar to Area52, but most of the products offered by Finest Labs focus on lower potencies.
However, this isn’t the case for their vape carts, as their potency is the same as the competition. So far, Finest Labs sells one type of vape cartridge, featuring 900 mg of delta 8 THC and cannabis-derived terpenes from the Strawberry Cough strain. This cart provides an uplifting vibe and a sensation of being “on a quest,” where your daily activities become the adventure of your life.
That being said, it’s a shame that such a great company offers only one type of delta 8 THC vapes; we’re excited to see more options in the future!
3. Arete Hemp
Arete Hemp is one of the few companies we’ve seen on the delta 8 THC market that provides details about its founders; you can even reach out to them via their Twitter and LinkedIn profile, which is a great indicator of high transparency.
This brand offers a few different cannabis products, including CBD oils, hemp flowers, and CBG extracts.
Arete Hemp has recently expanded their collection with delta 8 THC tinctures, distillates, and vape cartridges — all of which are sent to a third-party lab for testing.
The company offers a broad range of their special Limitless formula, featuring a combination of delta 8 THC, CBN, CBC, and strain-specific terpenes to leverage the entourage effect.
The strain profiles include:
- Green Crack – Sativa
- OG Cookies – Hybrid
- Platinum GSC – Hybrid
- Rre Dankness #1 – Indica
- Banana Mac – Indica
- Nine Pound Hammer – Indica
Our only concern with the testing from this brand is that their analysis for solvent and heavy metals are given a pass or fail score, but there’s no information on the criteria for that passing or failing.
What Are Delta 8 THC Vape Carts?
Delta 8 THC carts are simply cartridges containing delta 8 THC. They are often infused with other cannabinoids and terpenes to leverage the whole-plant synergy. Delta 8 occurs in its distillate form, which is then thinned down with substances like vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol. These two compounds make the distillate vapable and create a dense, appealing vapor upon exhale.
Vape carts are more affordable in the long run than disposable vape pens because you can reuse the battery components.
Many hemp companies offer delta 8 THC carts, but most employ the same standard threading, which is compatible with most vaping devices. However, some carts may use another type of threading, so it’s important to pay attention to what the product’s label is saying.
You can throw the cart into the bin once you’ve emptied it. Although the battery components are reusable, there’s no need to refill the tank with sticky E-liquid and create an unnecessary mess.
Can You Get High from Vaping Delta 8 THC?
Yes, delta 8 THC can get you high because, in essence, it’s a very similar cannabinoid to delta 9 THC from marijuana. The major difference between delta 8 and delta 9 THC is that the former is about half as potent as the latter.
You’d need to consume twice the amount of delta 8 THC to experience the same type of cognitive change as with delta 9.
Although low and moderate doses of delta 9 THC are well-tolerated by most users, higher amounts can backfire at some people, creating temporary mental discomfort, including anxiety, paranoia, and increased heart rate.
The above side effects are nearly non-existent when it comes to using delta 8 THC vape carts.
Nevertheless, irresponsible use can cause you to create bad habits around delta 8 THC, contributing to cannabis use disorder, let alone a significant increase in intolerance.
Reasons to Consider Vaping Delta 8 THC
There are many different delta 8 THC products, from tinctures, flowers, and moon rocks to capsules to edibles and concentrates.
So, why are people choosing vape carts over other forms?
Vaping delta 8 THC offers:
- Better absorption
- Convenience
- Portability
- Ease of use
- Consistent dosing
- Long shelf life
How to Store Delta 8 THC Vape Carts
Delta 8 THC is a more stable analog of delta 9 THC. In plain English, it has a much longer shelf life.
That being said, exposure to heat, humidity, and light can still cause delta 8 THC to degrade and lose potency over time.
The best place to keep your delta 8 THC vape carts is a dark-tinted contain
er, drawer, or cabinet away from heat and light.
What’s the Best Delta 8 THC Dosage?
Finding the best delta 8 THC dosage range for your situation may take some trial and error, but it’s actually easy.
Considering that delta 8 THC is twice less potent than delta 9, you can gauge your dosage range based on what gives you satisfying effects when you vape weed.
If this is your first time with cannabis, the best practice is to start low and go slow. Take one puff at a time, and wait for about 10-15 minutes for the effects to take hold. Their peak should be noticeable after about 20 minutes from inhalation when you can take another puff if one isn’t enough. Then, continue vaping using that pattern, but try not to exceed 3-4 small puffs during your first sesh.
Even if you don’t experience a cognitive change in lower doses, you can still reap the other benefits of delta 8 THC, such as relief from pain, stress, nausea, vomiting, and inflammation, on top of an increase in appetite and its neuroprotective properties.
Most casual users enjoy the optimal effects after 5 puffs. However, this dosage may vary based on your tolerance, metabolism, and time of the day.
Can You Build Tolerance to Delta 8 THC?
Yes, and worse yet, that tolerance increases much faster than with delta 9 THC.
If you use delta 8 THC carts daily for a month, you can expect a noticeable increase in your tolerance.
But on the other hand, tolerance to delta 8 THC can get reversed as quickly as it builds, so if you take a few days of T-break, it should bring your tolerance to its previous levels.
Is Delta 8 THC Legal?
In 2018, President Trump signed the amended Agricultural Act (Farm Bill), which made a clear distinction between hemp and marijuana.
The new act removed hemp from the list of controlled substances, reclassifying it as an agricultural commodity. As a result, hemp and its derivatives became legal on a federal level, provided that their delta 9 THC content didn’t cross 0.3%.
Delta 8 THC can be extracted from both hemp and marijuana.
Hemp-derived delta 8 THC contains less than 0.3% of delta 9 THC, so it meets the conditions set out by the 2018 Farm Bill.
The legal status of delta 8 is the real reason for its skyrocketing popularity.
However, 13 states have banned delta 8 THC products. As a result, you won’t buy them locally in the following states:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Utah
Is Vaping Delta 8 THC Safe?
There’s not much research into the effects of delta 8 THC; the majority of the evidence regarding its safety profile and health benefits comes from anecdotal reports or small studies that have often been conducted on animals.
No study has yet found any direct toxic effect of delta 8 THC in humans. It’s also impossible to fatally overdose on delta 8 THC because there are no cannabinoid receptors in the brain stem area that controls respiratory function.
The risk of getting anxious and paranoid is also much lower than with regular weed.
Nonetheless, you can experience a few mild side effects when using a delta 8 THC vape cart, such as:
- Dry mouth
- Red eyes
- A huge increase in appetite
- Difficulty concentrating
- Slight mental discomfort (very rare)
- Compromised motor functions
It would be best never to operate any machinery or drive a vehicle after vaping delta 8 THC carts. If you take any medication, we also suggest that you consult the use of delta 8 THC with your physician to avoid potential cannabinoid-drug interactions.
Possible Dangers of Using Delta 8 THC Vape Carts
Although delta 8 THC alone has a good safety profile, the chemicals used by some manufacturers during extraction can make delta 8 THC vape carts dangerous.
Hemp only contains trace amounts of delta 8 THC, so manufacturers need to convert it from CBD. This, in turn, requires the use of toxic chemicals, such as zinc bromide and zinc chloride.
These chemicals must be thoroughly purged from the end product; otherwise, your vape cart will be contaminated with dangerous substances. Other ingredients to avoid in delta 8 THC vape carts include MCT oil and Vitamin E acetate. The former is good for sublingual CBD use but vaping entails the risk of lipid pneumonia. The latter can cause serious damage to the lungs and is the number one ingredient in most scandalous stories in the media regarding cannabis vapes.
If you want to ensure the safety of your delta 8 carts, always look for relevant certificates of analysis to confirm their purity. Companies that don’t publish, or send their lab reports on request, aren’t worth your time.
How to Buy Delta 8 THC Cartridges
As an evolving space, the delta 8 THC market is home to many great companies, but there’s also plenty of fly-by-night vendors who don’t know a thing about this cannabinoid and how such products should be made.
Here’s how you can tell the difference between high-quality vape carts and poorly manufactured products.
Look into the Certificates of Analysis
Reputable delta 8 THC companies test their products in third-party laboratories for their THC content and purity. A laboratory is considered third-party when it has no affiliation with the manufacturer.
Lab testing is the only way to tell you if the product you’re about to buy meets the generally agreed quality and safety standards. Knowing what hemp-derived delta 8 THC products are made, they should be carefully tested by lab analysts.
Third-party testing ensures that you’re getting exactly what you’re buying.
The certificate of analysis from the laboratory should include:
- The potency of delta 8 THC
- Cannabinoid profile
- Terpene content
- Bleaches
- Heavy metal testing
- Solvent testing
- Pesticide testing
Companies may avoid publishing their lab reports for three reasons:
- The product failed the test — this could be caused by a lower potency of delta 8 than declared or by the presence of the above contaminants
- The company skipped the testing — some companies don’t care about third-party testing, so why would you care about buying from such vendors?
- The company isn’t aware of the importance of testing — many people entering the delta 8 THC space don’t know what standards they should follow. They often start cannabis companies to benefit from a product that’s in high demand at the time.
Check the List of Ingredients
As mentioned earlier in our guide, many companies are trying to cut down the production costs by introducing synthetic additives and other dangerous chemicals to their delta 8 THC vape carts — including MCT oil and vitamin E acetate. Many products sold locally also contain too much propylene glycol and are infused with synthetic flavorings, which further impacts their quality.
The only ingredients you should see listed on the packaging besides the delta 8 THC distillate are the minor cannabinoids, terpenes, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin.
Make Sure Your Delta 8 THC Vape Carts Come from Hemp
While it’s true that delta 8 THC is the same compound no matter where it comes from, the source can affect its legality.
The only products that are legal on a federal level are those made from hemp plants. You can buy them online and have them delivered to your house when buying from another state — something which remains a pipe dream for regular weed until the federal government rolls out nationwide decriminalization.
While delta 8 THC from marijuana is safer due to fewer chemicals during extraction, such products are only legal in the states that have legalized all forms of cannabis for recreational use.
Companies to Avoid when Buying Delta 8 THC
The lack of regulations surrounding the manufacturing and labeling standards of delta 8 products is the biggest danger of this market.
It’s easy to find a trustworthy manufacturer that offers high-quality delta 8 THC extracts, but it’s also very easy to stumble upon dishonest vendors that are simply put profits over customers.
The purity problems with many delta 8 THC products result from the way they are extracted.
Like we said, cannabis plants don’t naturally synthesize delta 8 THC. Instead, delta 8 THC occurs as a byproduct of delta 9 THC’s degradation over time.
While most cannabis extracts are produced by extracting the desired compounds directly from the plant, making delta 8 THC requires the manufacturer to convert it from C, henceiusingcals like zinc bromide and zinc chloride.
If the company invests time, effort, and money in the right extraction equipment and knowledgeable workers, they will be able to purge these chemicals from the final products to minimize the risk of contamination.
While cheaply produced delta 8 THC vape carts may look appealing at first glance, you should always ask yourself if it’s worth risking your health for a lower price tag.
The main companies to avoid are CannaClear, Cake, Terp Flex, CannaAid, Skyhio, Honey Creek Labs, and Truelive.
How Else Can I Take Delta 8 THC?
Delt 8 THC vape carts are the most commonly used form of this cannabinoid, but you can also find it in oils, concentrates, capsules, and edibles.
Final Thoughts on the Best Delta 8 THC Carts & Where to Find Them
The popularity of delta 8 THC products has skyrocketed throughout the last year thanks to their legal status, similar benefits to delta 9 THC from marijuana, and a lower risk of anxiety and paranoia addition, a. Delta 8 THC provides a more clear-headed buzz that isn’t as trippy as the one created by delta 9, even at higher doses.
If you’re looking for a perfect middle ground between CBD and high-THC cannabis, delta 8 THC vape carts may be the answer to your prayers.
Aside from fewer side effects and lower potency, delta 8 THC provides similar benefits to marijuana in terms of easing pain, inflammation, nausea, vomiting, and stress. It’s also a neuroprotectant and a potent appetite stimulant.
The fastest and most effective way to enjoy the effects of delta 8 THC is through vape carts. Most of these products fit into the standard 510 threading of vaporizers. Such products are portable, discreet, and easy to use on top of providing higher cost-efficacy than disposable vape pens.
That being said, you should carefully choose your delta 8 vape carts because there are a lot of companies selling low-quality products that can be contaminated with pesticides, solvents, or improperly purged acids. Only purchase from reputable brands that publish batch-specific certificates of analysis with results for potency and purity.
What’s your relationship with delta 8 THC vape carts? How do they compare to delta 9 from marijuana?