Students sound off on Delta- 8 drug and House Bill 137

Published: Jan. 24, 2023 at 10:30 PM CST

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - Students from Cody High School came to the Capitol on Monday for an important bill and issue you’ve probably never heard about.

Delta 8 is a chemically modified cannabis designer drug that is making some Cody students and citizens sick.

“It’s becoming an issue so bad that our Principal and the Police Officer at our school its becoming a full-time job for them to try to stop Delta-8 rather than having like anything else within any school curriculum or basic other things,” said Kelly Joyce, Junior-Cody High School/ Youth Justice.

This design drug takes the psychoactive THC in cannabis which is federally allowed at 0.3%, and adds chemicals like paint thinners and nail polish remover to produce the street drug Delta- 8, also known as diet weed.

Students say this drug can induce disorientation, fainting, coma and has even put some Cody students in the hospital.

The drug is manufactured in states where marijuana is legal and sold in CBD shops or vape stores.

It is not FDA regulated and as per the Farm Act of 2018, it is legal.

“There hasn’t been anything done to on the federal level to kind of get this loophole under control. So we’re trying to get this regulated to a state scale, the best we ,” said Christian Duderick, Cody High School student/ Youth Justice.

Cody students say that in just half of their school year, there have been over six cases of students visiting the ER over Delta-8.

These students have brought it to their city council but council members tell them that there’s nothing they or law enforcement can do.