{"id":614,"date":"2021-08-21T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-21T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cannabisnow.com\/?p=28023"},"modified":"2021-08-21T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T23:00:00","slug":"what-is-thc-inside-the-most-controversial-cannabinoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=614","title":{"rendered":"What Is THC: Inside the Most Controversial Cannabinoid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At a time when cannabis cultivators and consumers are so heavily focused on terpene profiles, it\u2019s easy to forget that not so long ago the overwhelmingly preoccupation of cannabis enthusiasts could be encapsulated in three letters: THC.<\/p>\n

Tetrahydrocannabinol is just one of the more than 110 cannabinoids found in cannabis, but for decades it was assumed to be the primary psychoactive component of the plant. It was synthesized in 1964 by Dr. Raphael Mechoulam<\/a>, which ultimately led to the creation of dronabinol, a synthetic version of THC best known by the trade name Marinol<\/a>. Patients who were already using cannabis medicine said the synthetic, THC-only option was less effective and had side effects not associated with natural cannabis.<\/p>\n

Raw THC vs. Activated THC<\/h4>\n

\u201cTHC\u201d is a common colloquial catchall, but there are several states of the cannabinoid relevant to the use of cannabis. What many people don\u2019t realize is that cannabis plants don\u2019t produce THC, they produce tetrahydrocannabolic acid, or THCA<\/a>. This is the non-psychoactive precursor to THC\u22069, which is created when THCA is decarboxylated through heat.<\/p>\n

This is why consuming raw cannabis<\/a>, while potentially beneficial in other ways, will not provide psychoactive effects. Many people decarboxylate<\/a> their cannabis before using it to make edibles precisely to transform THCA into THC\u22069, thereby ensuring the edibles will make consumers feel \u201chigh.\u201d<\/p>\n

THC\u22069 is further transformed into THC metabolites, which are produced by the human body when it processes THC, notably 11-nor-9-carboxy THC, which is basically inert but remains in the body for up to three months; it is the primary THC metabolite tested for by most drug tests.<\/p>\n

THC & The Endocannabinoid System<\/h4>\n

Even though the cannabis community\u2019s new obsession is with \u201cthe terps,\u201d the legacy of our previous love affair with high THC levels<\/a> is found in the elevated concentration still found in most strains. But with the widespread popularity of concentrates, high potency is typically given, hence the elevated focus on terpenes.<\/p>\n

We now know that the cannabis plant produces phytocannabinoids, which supplement and interact with endocannabinoids that are produced naturally by the human body. The complex neurological network responsible for producing, processing and utilizing these cannabinoids is known as the endogenous cannabinoid system<\/a>, and it was discovered by the same person who first synthesized THC \u2014 Dr. Mecholuam.<\/p>\n

There are many distinct physiological processes regulated or affected by the ECS. For example, the endocannabinoid system responds to a physical trauma by suppressing sensitizer and activator release, reducing nerve cell firing and limiting inflammatory response by immune cells near the site of the trauma. These are distinct processes, but they all further the ultimate goal of reducing pain. This is just one expression of the way the ECS is constantly working to maintain balance within your body.<\/p>\n

The Entourage Effect<\/h4>\n

Dr. Mechoulam is also credited with introducing the concept of the \u201centourage effect<\/a>,\u201d which first posited that cannabis works in tandem with CBD<\/a> and other cannabinoids to produce the desirable effects of cannabis. But what is often lost in the new buzz around CBD medicine and CBD-only medicine particularly, is that THC is an absolutely crucial component of that entourage. While it isn\u2019t necessary to consume THC in large quantities, or even necessarily to consume the decarboxylated THC\u22069 (though its benefits are numerous), your \u201ccannabinoid diet\u201d should contain some of the foundational cannabinoid THC, even if it\u2019s THCA in the form of a tincture.<\/p>\n

THC may not be the primary consideration of most cannabis consumers anymore, but it still serves a vital function in providing the diverse suite of medicinal benefits associated with cannabis consumption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At a time when cannabis cultivators and consumers are so heavily focused on terpene profiles, it\u2019s easy to forget that not so long ago the overwhelmingly preoccupation of cannabis enthusiasts could be encapsulated in three letters: THC. Tetrahydrocannabinol is just one of the more than 110 cannabinoids found in cannabis, but for decades it was assumed to be the primary psychoactive component of the plant. It was synthesized in 1964 by Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, which ultimately led to the creation of dronabinol, a synthetic version of THC best known by the trade name Marinol. Patients who were already using cannabis… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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-614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614","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=614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}