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From the plant

Δ8-THCDelta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol

An isomer of Δ9-THC present in trace amounts in cannabis; the market product is synthesised from CBD. Listed in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention.

FranceNarcotic: generic clauseInternationalNarcotic: named in schedule
Level of detail

C₂₁H₃₀O₂

CAS 5957-75-5

Family
PhytocannabinoidMinor
Origin
Degradation product (debated)
Molar mass
314.50 g/mol

Updated on

In plain terms

Δ8-THC is almost identical to Δ9-THC: only the position of one double bond changes. The plant contains only traces of it, perhaps formed during extraction, and what is sold is made from CBD. In a controlled trial published in 2025, 40 mg swallowed produced the same effects as 20 mg of Δ9-THC; it is classified as a narcotic in France.

Receptors and activity

Target network

CB1Partial agonistKi = 78 nM · humanRadioligand displacement, cell line expressing human CB1 (method of Husni et al. 2014); Δ9-THC 18 nM in the same study
  • Activates

The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to Δ8-THC: one ring per factor of 100. A target with no measured value stays on the edge.

Where these targets live

Where each target has been found in humans, according to the cited studies. The map shows the target, not an effect of Δ8-THC.

Brain, side view
Body, front view
Blood

CB1CB1 found in 7 regions of the body

  1. Basal gangliadenseMost dense in basal ganglia outflow nuclei1
  2. CerebellumdenseVery dense in the cerebellum1
  3. HippocampusdenseVery high concentrations in the hippocampus2
  4. AmygdaladenseHigh concentrations in the amygdala2
  5. CortexpresentPresent throughout the neocortex2
  6. Adipose tissuepresentExpressed in adipose tissue3
  7. GutpresentColonic epithelium, smooth muscle and plexus4

Map sources

  1. Herkenham M et al. Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1990 (new tab)
  2. Glass M et al. Cannabinoid receptors in the human brain: a detailed anatomical and quantitative autoradiographic study in the fetal, neonatal and adult human brain. Neuroscience, 1997 (new tab)
  3. Engeli S et al. Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity. Diabetes, 2005 (new tab)
  4. Wright K et al. Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Gastroenterology, 2005 (new tab)

Cited values

  1. CB1Partial agonistKi = 78 nM · human52 out of 100

    Radwan MM et al. Isolation and Pharmacological Evaluation of Minor Cannabinoids from High-Potency Cannabis sativa. J Nat Prod 2015;78:1271-1276, table 3 (new tab) · Radioligand displacement, cell line expressing human CB1 (method of Husni et al. 2014); Δ9-THC 18 nM in the same study

  2. CB2Partial agonistKi = 12 nM · human65 out of 100

    Radwan MM et al. J Nat Prod 2015;78:1271-1276, table 3 (new tab) · Radioligand displacement, cell line expressing human CB2 (method of Husni et al. 2014); Δ9-THC 42 nM in the same study

Bar length follows the measured value (Ki, Kd, EC50 or IC50), on one scale shared by every entry, from 100 µM to 0.1 nM. A target with no cited value has no bar.

Pharmacology

Δ8-THC (Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol) is a positional isomer of Δ9-THC: the double bond of the terpene ring sits at position 8 instead of 9, which makes the molecule more stable (Abdel-Kader et al., 2024). Hively, Mosher and Hoffmann first isolated it from cannabis in 1966; its natural content is very low, and it is still unknown whether it is biosynthesised by the plant or formed as an artefact during extraction or chromatographic analysis (Abdel-Kader et al., 2024). The Δ8-THC on sale is synthesised from hemp CBD: of 27 vape products from 10 brands, none was accurately labelled and all contained reaction by-products, including olivetol, Δ4(8)-iso-THC, 9-ethoxy-HHC and Δ9-THC (Meehan-Atrash and Rahman, 2022). Like Δ9-THC, it is a partial agonist of CB1 and CB2; at human receptors its CB1 Ki is 78 nM, against 18 nM for Δ9-THC in the same study (Radwan et al., 2015). In a double-blind crossover trial in 19 adults, 20 mg of oral Δ8-THC produced fewer subjective effects and less psychomotor impairment than 20 mg of Δ9-THC, but 40 mg of Δ8-THC did not differ from it; Δ8-THC formed markedly less of its psychoactive 11-OH metabolite (Zamarripa et al., 2025). Vaporised in 20 adults, it produced psychoactive effects comparable to those of Δ9-THC (Spindle et al., 2025). Δ8-THC is listed by name in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention; in France it falls under the « Tétrahydrocannabinols » entry of the arrêté of 22 February 1990, placed in Annex III by the ANSM decision of 6 February 2026.

Key sources.

History

Source
Present in cannabis in trace amounts, origin debated (plant metabolite or extraction artefact); market Δ8-THC is synthesised from CBD

Biosynthetic pathway

No biosynthetic pathway has been established. Isolated from cannabis in 1966 (Hively et al.), it may also form as an artefact during extraction or chromatographic analysis: the question « natural metabolite or artefact » remains open (Abdel-Kader et al., 2024). Commercial Δ8-THC is obtained by chemical conversion of CBD extracted from hemp (Meehan-Atrash and Rahman, 2022).

Classification

Family, origin and source verification

Family

Phytocannabinoid › Minor

Presence in the plant

Artefact: formed by oxidation, light, heat or solvent

Sources disagree on this point.

Chemistry

Type Δ8-THC · C5 side chain · neutral form

Verification

Every fact on this entry was checked against its primary sources on 20 October 2026.

Wikipedia (English)

Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol (new tab)

Article paired by the molecule's structure (InChIKey), revision read on 19 October 2026. Read as a second opinion, never cited as a source.

References

  1. Abdel-Kader MS et al. Chemistry and Pharmacology of Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol. Molecules 2024;29:1249 (new tab)PMID 38542886
  2. Hively RL, Mosher WA, Hoffmann FW. Isolation of trans-Δ6-tetrahydrocannabinol from marijuana. J Am Chem Soc 1966;88:1832-1833 (new tab)PMID 5942992
  3. Radwan MM et al. Isolation and Pharmacological Evaluation of Minor Cannabinoids from High-Potency Cannabis sativa. J Nat Prod 2015;78:1271-1276 (new tab)PMID 26000707
  4. Meehan-Atrash J, Rahman I. Novel Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol Vaporizers Contain Unlabeled Adulterants, Unintended Byproducts of Chemical Synthesis, and Heavy Metals. Chem Res Toxicol 2022;35:73-76 (new tab)PMID 34889611
  5. Zamarripa CA et al. A within-subject cross-over trial comparing the acute effects of oral delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in healthy adults. Drug Alcohol Depend 2025;272:112676 (new tab)PMID 40288059
  6. Spindle TR et al. A within-subject cross-over trial comparing the acute effects of vaporized delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in healthy adults. Drug Alcohol Depend 2025;272:112684 (new tab)PMID 40334328
  7. INCB, Green List: list of psychotropic substances under international control, 35th edition, 2024 (Schedule I, PT 002 tetrahydrocannabinol) (new tab)
  8. ANSM, decision of 06/02/2026 amending the list of substances classified as narcotics and the list of psychotropic substances (new tab)

Identifiers

Names

Common name
Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol
IUPAC name
(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydrobenzo[c]chromen-1-ol
Other names
Delta-8-THC

Identifiers

Formula
C₂₁H₃₀O₂
CAS
5957-75-5
PubChem CID
638026(new tab)
ChEBI
CHEBI:183415(new tab)
InChIKey
HCAWPGARWVBULJ-IAGOWNOFSA-N
SMILES
CCCCCC1=CC(=C2[C@@H]3CC(=CC[C@H]3C(OC2=C1)(C)C)C)O

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.

In the Journal