What is THCa?

Let’s refresh on our canna-chemistry. Fresh cannabis or marijuana actually doesn’t contain much ‘THC’ at all. In its raw form, cannabis contains THCa or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. Depending on the genetics of the plant, some may be higher (pun intended) in CBDa, CBGa, etc. When a plant is fresh, all of the cannabinoids are in a carboxylic state. They are in their ‘acidic’ form, not their activated form. Exposure to heat and light can decarboxylate THCa into THC over time or you can speed up the process by exposing the raw plant matter to heat. Unlike THC, THCa does not produce any high or psychotropic effect because it is too large to bind to the CB1 receptors in the human body. However, by smoking, baking or dabbing THCa, the carboxyl group can be removed. THCa will become THC, a molecule that does bind to the CB1 receptor, therefore producing an intoxicating effect.

Agriculture of THCa

Because THCa flower has to be controlled to prevent it from going over the federal legal limit of Delta 9 THC of 0.3%, it is grown indoors and tested frequently before harvest. Most strains have very low THC Delta 9 compared to THCa. With one marijuana strain that we looked at, Durban Poison contains 22.15% THCa and only 1.24% Delta 9 THC. Alpine Dispensary’s ground breaking new THCa flower strains both come in slightly stronger than this as legal hemp. But by harvesting early, and testing after harvest and trim that could easily be a federally compliant harvest. So THCa is truly just cannabis harvested slightly early. By selecting strains that are genetically predisposed to lower Delta 9 THC and higher THCa, growers can cultivate flower that is federally compliant but has a wonderful potential and similarity to marijuana once cooked or smoked. According to cannabis lawyer Rod Knight, “THCa hemp flower is no different from marijuana flower currently sold in medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries in states with regulated marijuana markets.” As long as the flower passes the USDA preharvest testing requirements, the flower is legally hemp, despite the potential it has once heated to produce euphoric effects.

What are the potential applications of THCa?

Although THCa is not a psychoactive cannabinoid, it still has promise for wonderful anti-inflammatory properties according to anecdotal evidence and preliminary findings from research done on mice with fatty liver disease. In this study, THCa reduced the inflammation of the mices’ livers. In addition, THCa is a potential antioxidant that can reduce oxidative stress on cells. There is also research that indicates THCa could reduce prostaglandin production, a chemical the body releases at infection or injury sites that causes inflammatory reactions. THCa is even being looked into to reduce nausea and vomiting. Perhaps the most significant finding so far is that THCa has shown neuroprotective activity that outshines decarboxylated THC, and could be a potential application for Huntington’s disease, but of course further research is needed. Preliminary research shows promise for medicinal applications that are unique to THCa because it works peripherally to the endocannabinoid system rather than directly affecting it, therefore it likely has unique benefits that CBD and THC don’t have.

How is THCa used?

Unheated, THCa will not produce similar effects to THC. But just because it does not produce a high, doesn’t mean THCa doesn’t have its own unique benefits. Some people do enjoy eating raw cannabis or juicing it. As crazy as it sounds, hemp has all the nutritional benefits of a dark green leafy vegetable and in its raw form, the terpenes and acidic cannabinoids are intact, as well as chlorophyll. Some might also enjoy the benefits of heating THCa. It can be smoked or dabbed and retain some of the THCa content, but keep in mind once THCa is heated and the carboxyl group breaks down you will be left with more of the psychoactive compound THC. Another way to remove the carboxyl group is to bake raw cannabis buds in the oven at 250 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or a little lower temp and longer time if you want to preserve more terpenes. Heating cannabis low and slow prevents you from destroying any of the cannabinoids which are heat sensitive. This baked cannabis can then be infused into oils for cooking with or making topical salves. Once again, heating THCa will result in the breakdown of the carboxyl group, which means that you will have an activated form of THC which will interact with your endocannabinoid system. Please use your own discretion when attempting to decarboxylate THCa.

Is THCa legal?

THCa is protected under the 2018 Farm Bill which states that any cannabis product containing less than 0.3% Detla 9 THC is a hemp product, therefore not federally illegal. High Times predicts that THCa will be the top selling hemp product nationwide in 2023 and for good reason. Unlike delta 9 THC which is still federally illegal, or delta 8 THC which is unregulated and therefore hard to control the quality of (we have COA’s on our website for all of our delta 8 THC products) THCa is unprocessed, unaltered, raw cannabis.

Why try THCa?

There are several reasons why THCa is a great option for some people. Because it does not produce a high if you do not apply heat, some individuals that are sensitive to THC may find relief that they get from THC without the unwanted psychoactive effects. Another wonderful aspect of THCa is that it is typically fresher than other forms of cannabis because over time heat and light will decarboxylate THCa into THC or CBN. Therefore it needs to be cured and packaged quickly to reduce the chance of decarboxylation. Once smoked, THCa turns into THC upon contact with fire, so if you enjoy THC, THCa is a great way to legally reap the benefits of cannabis in states that do not yet offer recreational or medical cannabis.

Takeaway on THCa

The passing of the 2018 Farm Bill was a huge gateway into the science of cannabis. No, it did not legalize marijuana nationwide or deschedule THC, which two thirds of Americans are in support of. It did open the doors for research to begin in America on many cannabinoids that have previously never truly had a spotlight and has allowed us to dive deep into the development of the cannabis plant and understand the process of the unfolding of the cannabinoids. The fist cannabinoid to develop in any cannabis plant is the mother of all cannabinoids, CBGa. Depending on the genetics of the plant, CBDa or THCa will develop as the plant reaches maturity. The 2018 Farm Bill states, “This bill legalizes industrial hemp that has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) concentration of no more than 0.3% by removing it from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. S”. So long as a cannabis plant contains less than .3% of the active ingredient THC that produces psychoactive effects, it is considered hemp and therefore can and should be explored by cannabis enthusiasts for its potential medical and recreational applications. Considering that THCa is the most abundant cannabinoid in fresh cannabis, it is worth exploring deeper into its potential. Here at Alpine Dispensary we stay ahead of the science and will continue to bring you the highest quality, federally legal, cannabis in the U.S.

Sources Cited

-https://www.leafly.com/learn/cannabis-glossary/thca

-https://www.usda.gov/farmbill

-https://www.insider.com/guides/health/thca

-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33341026/

-https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/what-is-thca-and-what-are-the-benefits-of-this-cannabinoid

-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3792001/

-https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/international-collaborative-study-reveals-the-neuroprotective-properties-of-phytocannabinoid-9-thca-300518078.html

-https://emilykylenutrition.com/raw-cannabis-juice/

-https://hightimes.com/sponsored/thca-whats-the-hype/

-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22571976/

-https://biomedican.com/thca/

-https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5485/all-info

-https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/11/14/americans-support-marijuana-legalization/

-https://cannabusiness.law/thca-flower-the-next-big-thing-in-hempland/