I have used Delta-8 from reputable online vendors dozens of times without issues. This time I was impatient. Saw a pack of Delta-8 gummies at a gas station for $15 and grabbed them. The packaging looked professional. No lab results on the package, but there was a QR code that led to a dead link. I ignored that red flag.
T+0:00 — Ate one gummy labeled "25mg Delta-8-THC."
T+0:45 — Onset was different from what I am used to. Felt heady and slightly unwell, like the very beginning of a flu, rather than the warm onset I know from quality D8.
T+1:30 — Something is wrong. My head is pounding. I feel intoxicated but not in a pleasant way — more like being dizzy and confused simultaneously. My mouth tastes metallic. The body load is heavy and uncomfortable rather than warm and relaxing.
T+2:00 — Nauseous. Vomited once. Heart racing. This does not feel like any Delta-8 experience I have had. I suspect the product either contains significantly more THC than labeled, unknown byproducts from poor synthesis, or both.
T+3:00 — Lying on the couch with the room gently spinning. Not panic-attack bad, but genuinely unwell. Drank water, ate bland food. Considered going to urgent care but the symptoms were slowly stabilizing.
T+5:00 — Gradually improving. The headache persisted for the rest of the evening.
Next morning: mild headache, felt off all day. Threw the remaining gummies away.
I contacted the manufacturer. The email bounced. The phone number on the package was disconnected. The company does not appear to exist outside of the product packaging.
The Delta-8 market is the wild west. The substance itself is fine when it is actually Delta-8-THC and nothing else. But cheap products from unknown manufacturers may contain god knows what. Spend the extra money. Demand lab results. If the QR code does not work, do not eat the product.