{"id":557,"date":"2021-08-19T18:01:28","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T18:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=175566"},"modified":"2021-08-19T18:01:28","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T18:01:28","slug":"meet-thc-o-a-hemp-derived-compound-three-times-stronger-than-thc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=557","title":{"rendered":"Meet THC-O, a hemp-derived compound three times stronger than THC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Meet THC-O, a hemp-derived compound three times stronger than THC | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.9.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"leafly-table-of-contents w-full relative\"><button class=\"w-full text-left text-sm bg-leafly-white py-xs px-sm font-medium\" type=\"button\" id=\"tableOfContents\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Jump to a section<\/span><span class=\"caret\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p>In recent months, a synthetic compound derived from hemp called THC-O acetate\u2014often referred to simply as THC-O (pronounced \u201cTHC oh\u201d)\u2014has quickly gained popularity among Americans who don\u2019t have access to legal cannabis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>THC-O products are increasingly popular in states where consumers don\u2019t have access to legal cannabis. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>THC-O\u2019s appeal lies in its potency and its legal status. Research has found that it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.pt\/books?id=_tVJAQAAIAAJ&amp;dq=marijuana+chemistry&amp;q=&amp;redir_esc=y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">roughly three times stronger<\/a> than conventional THC. It has been called \u201cthe psychedelic cannabinoid\u201d for its borderline hallucinatory effects. Because it\u2019s derived from federally legal hemp, THC-O products are becoming increasingly popular in the states where consumers don\u2019t have access to legal, state-licensed delta-9 THC products.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And now that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/science-tech\/what-is-delta8-thc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">delta-8 THC<\/a>, its trendy cousin, has been <a href=\"https:\/\/mogreenway.com\/2021\/07\/14\/delta-8-legality-map\/#:~:text=Currently%2C%20Delta%2D8%20is%20banned,Utah%2C%20Vermont%2C%20and%20Washington.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">outlawed in some states<\/a> across the country and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hempgrower.com\/article\/delta-8-thc-dea-drug-enforcement-administration-orange-book-what-it-means\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">flagged by the DEA<\/a>, THC-O\u2019s star may rise even faster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While THC-O products like vape carts and tinctures are available for purchase online, both their legal status and their safety remain unproven.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Read on to learn more about the history of THC-O acetate, its potential benefits, and the risks you should be aware of before trying it yourself.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-is-thc-o\">What is THC-O?<\/h2>\n<p>Although many of us only recently heard about THC-O, the US military began <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nap.edu\/read\/9136\/chapter\/5#79\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">studying its effects<\/a> as long ago as 1949; they observed it eroded dogs\u2019 muscle coordination twice as much as conventional delta-9 THC. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>Typically, acetic anhydride is added to delta-8 THC to produce delta-O acetate.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>THC-O didn\u2019t appear on the DEA\u2019s radar until nearly 30 years later. In 1978, DEA agents discovered a clandestine lab in Jacksonville, Florida, had combined a cannabis extract with acetic anhydride. But over the following 10 years, THC-O did not enter the illicit market. Since it didn\u2019t seem to be a growing problem, the federal drug agency declined further investigation into the unusual compound.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Today the production of THC-O acetate is raising concern among some in the state-licensed cannabis industry. To generate the molecule, a highly-flammable compound called acetic anhydride is added to THC molecules. The process involves a series of extractions that begin with hemp, the low-THC cannabis plant that was made federally legal by Congress in the 2018 farm bill. First, CBD is extracted from raw hemp. Then delta-8 THC is extracted from the CBD. Finally, acetic anhydride is added to the delta-8 THC molecules to make THC-O acetate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Experts say this process should only be done under controlled laboratory conditions, due to the health risks involved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>More on hemp-based THC derivatives<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-don-t-make-thc-o-at-home\">Don\u2019t make THC-O at home<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe process of making THC-O acetate is inherently dangerous,\u201d the renowned cannabis researcher Dr. Ethan Russo <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hempgrower.com\/article\/delta-8-thc-dea-drug-enforcement-administration-orange-book-what-it-means\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently told <em>Hemp Grower<\/em><\/a>. \u201cThis is something that\u2019s got to be done in a technical lab with a vacuum hood [and] no exposure to humans.\u201d <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>If you want to use delta-O, always buy, never DIY.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Some THC-O retailers have echoed Russo\u2019s warnings on their own websites. \u201cPlease don\u2019t try to make THC-O on your own,\u201d cautions the <a href=\"https:\/\/honestmarijuana.com\/thc-o\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Honest Marijuana Co<\/a>., an online seller of THC-O products. \u201cThe process requires special equipment and advanced training to get right. And volatile, flammable, and explosive chemicals are necessary. It\u2019s not worth your life (or your home or your eyebrows) to do something that a lab can do better and safer. If you want to use THC-O, always buy, never DIY.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If produced successfully, THC-O acetate resembles a thick brown liquid, <a href=\"https:\/\/honestmarijuana.com\/thc-o\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">similar to motor oil.<\/a> As such, it can be consumed in vape cartridges, tinctures, and edibles.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-is-thc-o-safe-to-consume\">Is THC-O safe to consume?<\/h2>\n<p>A lack of research and a profound lack of regulation based on actual data means that mysteries about THC-O acetate are prevalent.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond its potency, researchers have concluded that THC-O acetate is a \u201cprodrug,\u201d meaning that the compound is not activated until it has been metabolized. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to kick in.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jimmysb1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">James Stephens<\/a> is a cannabis researcher and chemist. He\u2019s investigated the effects of THC-O as part of his work for <a href=\"https:\/\/ironlight.tech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Iron Light<\/a>, a cannabis product and brand consultancy based in Missoula, Montana. Stephens cautions that there are wide variations in product quality right now, early in the compound\u2019s commercial emergence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re using low-quality extract material and low-quality reagents you bought online from Alibaba or whatever, you\u2019re likely to get way less pure of a product than if you\u2019re using clean [and pharmaceutical-grade] reagents and do a lot of downstream purification steps,\u201d Stephens told Leafly.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/health\/is-delta-8-thc-safe-heres-what-the-experts-say\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Is delta-8 THC safe? Here\u2019s what the experts say<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-s-in-these-products\">What\u2019s in these products?<\/h2>\n<p>Stephens regularly reaches out to THC-O acetate producers online. When they send him testing results, he is alarmed by the lack of specificity. \u201cIt\u2019s 10-15% unknowns in there. I ask, \u2018What\u2019s the rest of the stuff?\u2019, and they say, \u2018We don\u2019t know\u2019\u2026That\u2019s what usually shuts down the conversation.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With any vape cartridge sold outside a state-licensed cannabis system, there\u2019s always a concern about potentially toxic additives mixed into the cannabis oil. These thinning agents have caused <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/health\/vape-pen-lung-disease-vitamin-e-oil-explained\">serious health problems<\/a> in the past, and there\u2019s nothing to prevent unregulated companies from adding them without informing consumers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Stephens noted that smoking the molecule in a vape cartridge invites another host of questions, since combustion can activate other chemical processes. \u201cWe just don\u2019t know [what happens], but you can\u2019t run around saying any of this stuff is safe,\u201d he told Leafly.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-it-s-potent-so-go-slow\">It\u2019s potent, so go slow<\/h2>\n<p>Stephens is likewise worried that adverse reactions to THC-O acetate could have larger repercussions for the legalization movement writ large. \u201cMy biggest fear,\u201d he said, \u201cis it just takes that first overdose to cause the equivalent of a satanic panic or whatever you want to call it.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Overconsumption of traditional cannabis has never directly caused a death in humans. With a compound three times as potent as delta-9 THC, however, there\u2019s a risk of consumers imbibing too much THC-O and suffering through some unpleasant effects. Of course, high-potency cannabis concentrates like dabbing oil, wax, and shatter have been legally sold for many years\u2014so the risk of a bad trip with THC-O is all relative.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-is-thc-o-actually-legal\">Is THC-O actually legal?<\/h2>\n<p>Well, it depends who you ask.<\/p>\n<p>Producers of THC-O acetate products say they\u2019re protected under the farm bill passed by Congress in 2018, because the molecule was derived from a chain of custody that began with federally legal hemp plants. But even they seem unsure. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binoidcbd.com\/blogs\/news\/what-is-thc-o-acetate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Binoid<\/a>, a top seller of the compound, as well as other derivatives like delta 10-THC and <a href=\"https:\/\/cbdtesters.co\/2021\/08\/11\/what-is-hhc-hexahydrocannabinol\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HHC<\/a>, admits on the company\u2019s own website, \u201cThat\u2019s actually hard to say.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As for their competitor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bearlylegalhemp.com\/collections\/thc-o-acetate-d8-vape-tanks-carts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bearly Legal Hemp Company<\/a>, their name says it all.<\/p>\n<p>Some experts, however, believe the compound is not legal. They cite the 1986 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Federal_Analogue_Act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federal Analogue Act<\/a>, which states that any substance analogous to a Schedule I drug\u2014in this case, conventional THC\u2014would itself qualify as a Schedule I drug.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But that argument could be similarly used to argue against the legality of delta-8 THC, or perhaps even CBD. It all depends on where the line between \u201canalogous\u201d and \u201cnon-analogous\u201d is drawn.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-state-laws-and-regulations-scrambling-to-catch-up\">State laws and regulations scrambling to catch up<\/h2>\n<p>As with products containing delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC, products with THC-O exist in the marginal legal space between hemp (which is legal nationwide) and cannabis (which is not). State regulators and legislators are currently playing whack-a-mole with the growing number of hemp-derived compounds, banning novel compounds only to see new derivatives take their place.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In legal adult-use states, cannabis regulators are by and large ignoring these hemp-derived compounds because they don\u2019t fall under their strict regulatory purview. Local police and health authorities have more pressing matters, like violent crime and the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, some state-licensed companies in legal states are becoming more concerned about unlicensed hemp-derived THC products undercutting their market and tarnishing the reputation of the cannabis sector with potentially unhealthy products.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Until THC-O and other hemp derivatives come under a state-regulated system, consumers will need to weigh the risks and benefits of these compounds for themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/meet-thc-o-a-hemp-derived-compound-three-times-stronger-than-thc.jpg\" alt=\"Max Savage Levenson's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Max Savage Levenson<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Max Savage Levenson likely has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any writer on the cannabis beat. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled folk. He co-hosts The Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/max-savage-levenson\">View Max Savage Levenson&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. 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Jump to a section In recent months, a synthetic compound derived from hemp called THC-O acetate\u2014often referred to simply as THC-O (pronounced \u201cTHC oh\u201d)\u2014has quickly gained popularity among Americans who don\u2019t have access to legal cannabis.&nbsp; THC-O products are increasingly popular&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/meet-thc-o-a-hemp-derived-compound-three-times-stronger-than-thc.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}