If you are a fan of Delta 9 THC gummies, you may have noticed recently more companies offering a fast-acting option and wondered how they suddenly did that. Why weren’t they always fast-acting? Well, don’t worry, I am here to answer those questions for you. The simple answer is SCIENCE! 

What you need to know about water-soluble THC. 

Water soluble THC is relatively new to the cannabis market and is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Before its invention, THC edibles were made with oil-soluble THC which left onset time unpredictable and dosage sometimes harder to control for the novice user. Without going all science geek, here are the top 5 things you need to know about water-soluble THC vs oil-soluble THC. 

1. Absorption Rate is Higher. The bodies absorption rate of oil-soluble THC is 30%. Whereas the body’s absorption rate is 80% with water-soluble THC. Rather than being broken down by the stomach to be processed by the liver, water-soluble THC more efficiently soaks into your stomach lining when broken down. This leads me to my next point. 
2. Reduced Onset Times. As water-soluble THC is more efficiently absorbed, the onset time is naturally reduced. No more sitting around waiting for something to happen. Water soluble THC onset time is 10-15 minutes.
3. Potency Increase. With an 80% absorption rate, potency is also increased to around slightly over double, so tread lightly. If you normally take 10mg, start at 5mg. There is no use using dynamite if a firecracker will get the job done.
4. Shorter Duration. As the body processes water soluble THC very quickly, it also shortens the duration. In most cases, this is a wonderful thing. It makes it easy to zone in on what dosage is right for you and how often you can take those doses.
5. But Edible THC Doesn’t Affect me. This is the real game changer. Most people who want to enjoy edible THC but can’t, now can! Enzyme factors in the liver are the primary cause that some have never experienced edible THC. Since water soluble THC isn’t processed by the liver, they can now take the ride they’ve always wanted. 

Ready for some fast acting goodness? Purchase our D9 (CBG or CBN) Gummies today!

Topicals are becoming a necessity to have on hand at any store that sells Delta 8 products or Delta 9 products. For those not familiar with the term topical, a topical is any lotion, salve, or oil you apply to your skin directly. These types of THC products are essential to helping those who seek pain relief but don’t want to get high. These customers want more help than they will get from an over the counter topical at Walmart, and many of them find their way into a cannabis dispensary or a hemp shop. Most cannabis dispensaries carry little to no topicals with few options. Hemp shops have taken up the slack in this department with most offering multiple options with multiple ways to apply the product. In this article I am going to cover how topical THC products work, if they will cause you to fail a drug test, what types of products are on the market, and introduce you to RiverBluff’s new line of topical products. 

How Do THC Products Work on the Skin? 

Our bodies contain natural cannabinoid receptors throughout the soft tissue and skin known as the endocannabinoid system, so when applying a CBD or THC product, your body is built to accept it. Most standard topicals found at your local pharmacy do not penetrate nearly as well due to lack of natural receptors. They work okay for skin irritation and minor aches, but if your issue is more severe, you should consider a topical THC product to see if it more suits your needs. In more cases than not you will find that it exceeds expectations. 

Will Topical THC Products Cause You to Fail a Drug Test?  

Many non-cannabis consumers shy away from the topic of using topical THC products out of fear they will get high or fail a drug test. First, topical THC products will not get you high. That is unless you start eating it in which case you either misread the directions or have a much much larger problem. As for Drug testing, topicals stay in skin cells for around 24 hrs. If you are not taking a skin test (the rarest of all drug tests) you should be fine but wait 24-48 hours to keep at ease. All in all, these products are safe, and your body was built to use them. 

Types of Topicals and What to Use Them For 

Lotions– Lotions are great for skin irritation and minor soft tissue pain. They don’t penetrate nearly as deep as salves or oils but many of them smell pretty whereas the other two generally have a medicine smell to them. They are also probably the easiest to apply.  

Salves- Salves are the deep penetrator of topicals. It is the messiest to apply but really the best to use for deep tissue bruising and sprains.  Once you get used to applying it it isn’t as messy but at first rest assured you will get it everywhere. 

Oils- Many oils use a roll-on applicator. Roll-ons are nice because the roller also offers a slight massage when rolling over the skin. It penetrates better than lotion but not quite as good as a salve. It is the most versatile. It does well with everything from skin irritation to deep tissue bruising. It is also the cleanest to apply as your hands never really need to come into contact with the oil. 

RiverBuff’s New Topical Delta 9 THC Products! 

3oz CBD/Delta 9 Roll On- This is our strongest roll on yet! 1000mg of CBD and 50mg of Delta 9 THC are paired with menthol to create a cool soothing easy to apply topical. 

1.6oz CBD/Delta 9 Salve- Our new salve is our most powerful topical yet. Same pairing as the roll on except there is 100mg of Delta 9 THC in it. This product is our best offering for deep tissue pain. 

Besides offering new topical THC products, we have also brought out our new 1200mg Citrus Splash CBD lotion. Arter reading this article if you still have trepidation toward trying topical THC products, please, try a CBD product, the amount of relief you can experience far outweighs any stigmatism you might face from uneducated people for trying to find relief for yourself. Your comfort should be the focus of any treatment you try and the optics of it should be a distant second. If you know someone struggling to come to terms with the possibility that they may be better suited to THC products, please, show them this article or one of the many others written by others on the topic. 

Most cannabis consumers think of THC as a singular compound when the reality is far from it. There are four major types of THC used for their medicinal and psychoactive effects and many other lesser-known forms that show up in products. The BIG 4 are Delta 8 THC, Delta 9 THC, THC-A, and THC-P. Today we will learn about THC-A specifically: 

• How is if different from what is sold at a typical dispensary 
• Why it is becoming many longtime smokers go to flower 
• Why some consider it “fake” weed 
• How it is legal 

So, kick back in the cut, fire one up, and let’s learn about some weed stuff. 

What is THC-A 

THC-A or Tetrahydrocannabinol Acid if you want to be fancy is the primary form of THC produced by the cannabis plant. When heated it converts to Delta-9 THC. Delta-9 THC is often the form people are thinking of when they ask about “real” THC and in edibles and most vapes they’d be correct but when it comes to bud, they are missing the picture. THC-A makes up on average 98.5% of the total THC count in cannabis. THC-A is what gets you high when smoking flower so, when purchasing from a hemp shop or dispensary always look at the THC- A count. 

How is THC-A Hemp Different Than What is Sold at A Typical Dispensary? 

The easy answer is that it is not taxed at a ridiculous rate. For cannabis to qualify as THC-A hemp it only requires that it is has a dry weight of less than 0.3% Delta 9 THC. By that standard the vast majority of raw cannabis flower sold qualifies as THC-A hemp. To ensure they could get plants to stay around that 0.3% Delta 9 standard, growers crossed it with plants with a high CBG count. CBG might be the most beneficial compound for your health in cannabis (we can dig into that in another blog, another time). Now, we have THC-A hemp that tests as good or better than most flower found at typical dispensaries, but wait, we bumped the CBG count up significantly. Next time you buy from a typical dispensary, look at the Delta 9 THC count. If it is less than 0.3% (it probably will be) or says THC-A on the label, know you could have bought your flower cheaper elsewhere. 

Why Many Smokers Go to THC-A Flower 

I’ll keep this short and just give you a list of reasons. 

1. It isn’t taxed nearly as heavy 
2. It gets you just as high
3. The extra CBG in theory should make it slightly better health wise.
4. Most Hemp shops have less wait time, and their staff must be educated on the products they sell because many first-time customers will come in with the assumption it is all “fake”. 

Why Some People Call It “Fake” Weed 

The reason THC-A hemp is called “fake” weed is due to ignorance caused by lack of topic education brought on by the government’s futile war to demonize the plant. Little research existed on cannabis until the last 40 years when interest picked back up for its medicinal use to curb opiate addiction. Now, we live in the information age. You have a supercomputer in your pocket and hopefully an educated budtender in front of you. If people fail to listen to the budtender, fail to research what they are explaining, and choose to call THC-A hemp “fake” weed then there is nothing I could write today that would change their mind. The only thing that could change their mind is failing a drug test for THC (Which they most definitely will) after smoking “fake” weed and no one wants that. 

How is This Legal? 

The 2018 Farm Bill set the definition of hemp-based products as those having less than 0.3% Delta 9 THC by dry weight. This unknowingly made most cannabis grown in the county to now be classified as hemp, but it took a few years for the public to catch on as many were happy their states were now recreational. First, they realized they could still make high powered edibles and qualify them as hemp making them legal to see in most states. It wasn’t until the last 4 years that the THC-A hemp flower explosion happened as more and more people started to notice the weed that bought at their local dispensary should qualify as hemp and set out to prove that point.  

Don’t Knock It Until You Try it 

After reading this article, if you’ve never visited a hemp shop that sells THC-A flower, I implore you to do so. If you are still skeptical when you arrive, I dare you to ask for their best. What do you have to lose? It is cheaper and more convenient than most typical dispensaries. Find a hemp shop that educates and strives to carry quality products, there are many who do and twice as many who don’t but if you find the right one it will blow your local dispensary out of the water. THC-A hemp is not “fake” weed. It is just weed or maybe even weed that is better for you.