Many people enjoy delta 8 gummies as a milder alternative to the classic delta 9 THC.
But apart from their effects, what type of experience do delta 8 gummies offer? How long do delta 8 gummies take to kick in?
You’ll typically begin feeling the effects of delta 8 gummies 30 minutes to 2 hours after consumption. There is a variation in onset time because it’s influenced by many factors, including your metabolism, food intake, level of hydration, tolerance, and dosage. Some people feel the effects quickly, while for others, it takes a bit longer.
In this article, we’ll talk about how long it takes delta 8 gummies to kick in and answer related questions.
What are Delta 8 Gummies?
Delta 8 gummies are gummy candies containing delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 8 THC or delta 8), a cannabinoid that naturally occurs in the hemp plant.
While delta 8 is found in nature, it’s only found in very small amounts. Because of this, it has to be produced synthetically for use in products.
Delta 8 is psychoactive and will create a head high. However, it’s just half as potent as delta 9 THC (the type of THC that’s naturally very abundant in hemp/cannabis).
Delta 8 is popular among hemp users who want a high, but don’t want something as powerful as delta 9. It’s widely enjoyed for both therapeutic and recreational use.
How Do Delta 8 Gummies Make You Feel?
Delta 8 gummies will create feelings of euphoria, energy, and clarity.
Unlike delta 9, delta 8 is somewhat energizing, making it ideal for daytime therapeutic or recreational use.
Delta 8 tends to spread its effects fairly evenly across the mind and body, so people use it for both mental and physical relaxation.
How Long Do Delta 8 Gummies Take to Kick In?
After consumption, delta 8 gummies take between 30 minutes and 2 hours to kick in.
The reason for this wide variation in potential onset of effects is that a number of factors influence how soon you’ll begin feeling the effects of delta 8 gummies.
Factors Influencing the Onset Time of Delta 8 Gummies
Several factors influence how long it takes delta 8 gummies to kick in. Here’s a bit about each:
Metabolism
After you consume delta 8 gummies, your body has to begin metabolizing them for you to begin feeling the psychoactive effects.
Because everyone’s metabolism is naturally a bit different, you might feel the effects of delta 8 gummies more quickly or slowly than other people do.
Your metabolism rate is the main factor that influences how soon you’ll feel delta 8 gummies.
Food intake
Because delta 8 gummies are an edible product, they have to pass through the digestive system for your body to begin metabolizing them, which is when they begin to render their effects.
This means that if you eat a lot of food before taking delta 8 gummies, you’ll have to wait longer to start feeling the effects because your body will need to digest the food first.
Hydration
Drinking water speeds up metabolism and digestion, both of which influence how long it takes delta 8 gummies to kick in.
The better hydrated you are (up to a point), the sooner you’ll feel the effects of delta 8 gummies.
Tolerance
Your level of tolerance for delta 8 THC can influence how soon you feel the effects of delta 8 gummies.
If you have a higher tolerance, your body will need to metabolize a greater amount of delta 8 for you to begin feeling the effects. This means your onset time will be slightly longer (and vice versa if you have a lower tolerance).
Tolerance is partially determined by genetics and partially determined by how you consume delta 8.
Repeated consumption of increasingly larger amounts of delta 8 will increase your tolerance, while abstaining from it altogether for an extended period will reduce your tolerance.
Dosage
Dosage often doesn’t play a major role in how fast delta 8 gummies kick in, but it can, depending on your tolerance.
If your tolerance is higher, delta 8 will kick in sooner if you take a larger dose, as the amount of delta 8 required to produce a high will be metabolized by your body sooner.
Weight
One last factor related to onset time that many people think matter is how much you weigh. However, your weight doesn’t actually play a role in determining onset time.
While body weight can determine the dose at which you’ll feel certain effects, it doesn’t have an appreciable influence on how soon you’ll feel the effects of delta 8 gummies.
This is because weight doesn’t have a linear correlation with either metabolism or digestion rates, which are the two things that most influence onset time.
How Long Do the Effects of Delta 8 Gummies Last?
Once delta 8 gummies kick in, they will render effects for 6-8 hours. This duration varies, and is primarily dependent on how much delta 8 you take and whether you’ve eaten any fatty foods beforehand.
Delta 8 THC has to bind to fat to be circulated throughout your body, so if you have higher amounts of fat in your bloodstream, you’ll feel the effects at their full intensity and duration.
How Long Do Delta 8 Gummies Stay in Your System?
If you consume delta 8 gummies just once or only do so very occasionally, the delta 8 will be gone from your system in about one week.
However, if you take delta 8 gummies on a regular basis, it may take anywhere from 30 days to 3 months for the delta 8 to clear your system.
How Many Delta 8 Gummies Should You Take?
Starting out, we recommend taking a low-strength dose of delta 8 gummies. You can calculate your starting dose using the formula below:
(0.05) x (your body weight in lbs.) = your daily delta 8 dosage in mg.
This formula will give you a dose customized to your weight. The exact number of delta 8 gummies this number translates into depends on the potency of your gummies.
If you weigh 200 pounds, for example, your starting dose would be 10mg of delta 8. This might be 1 gummy if you’re using 10mg delta 8 gummies, or a part of one if your edibles are higher-potency.
Once you take your dose a few times, you can adjust it up or down depending on how it’s working for you.
For more, check out our guide to delta 8 dosage.
Conclusion: How Fast Do Delta 8 Gummies Begin Working?
Most people will begin feeling the effects of delta 8 gummies in 45 minutes to 1 hour, but the range of possible onset times is 30 minutes to 2 hours.
There are many factors that influence how long delta 8 gummies take to kick in, but some of the most important are metabolism, food intake, and hydration.
For the best delta 8 experience, drink water and eat foods containing healthy fats before taking your gummies. This will allow you to experience the full intensity of effects this alt-cannabinoid has to offer.
How Long Do Delta 8 Gummies Take to Kick In: Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions our customers frequently ask us about the onset time of delta 8 gummies.
How fast do delta 8 gummies kick in?
Most people will begin feeling the effects of delta 8 gummies in 45 minutes to 1 hour, but the range of possible onset times is 30 minutes to 2 hours.
What is a delta 8 high like?
A delta 8 high is euphoric and uplifting. Compared to delta 9 THC, delta 8 THC is less potent and more energizing.
How many delta 8 gummies make you feel high?
The exact number of delta 8 gummies that will produce a high varies, depending on the strength of your gummies and your tolerance. That said, most people feel high from just 5-10mg of delta 8, which is equivalent to ⅓-1 standard-strength delta 8 gummy.
Are delta 8 gummies more potent than regular THC gummies?
No, delta 8 gummies are not more potent than regular THC gummies. In fact, the opposite is true – delta 8 is roughly ½ as potent as delta 9 THC.
Can you fly with delta 8 gummies?
Since delta 8 is legal under federal law, you can technically fly with delta 8 gummies within the US. However, since delta 8 is banned in many states, we recommend you do careful research beforehand to ensure delta 8 is legal on your specific flight.