THCA, short for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, is a non-intoxicating compound produced by the cannabis plant. THCA stands for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid and is the precursor of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). When cannabis grows, it produces cannabinoids in the form of carboxylic acids, which are most often converted into non-acidic compounds through a process called decarboxylation. Almost all cannabinoids start in their acidic form, which has different structures and effects than their non-acid versions.
THCA is short for tetrahydrocannabinol acid, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. It is one of hundreds of chemical compounds in the marijuana plant. THCA is the acidic form of THC, but unlike THC, it doesn't produce a euphoric effect. THCA is often referred to as the precursor to THC.
It is a cannabinoid acid found in the fresh cannabis plant. Tetrahydrocannabinol acid, or THCA, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in raw and unheated cannabis plants. The acidic form of THC, THCA, doesn't produce euphoria. The chemical structures of both cannabinoids are similar, but their functions are different.
THCa or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is the non-psychotropic cannabinoid found in raw and live cannabis. THC or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the active psychotropic cannabinoid. They share a very similar chemical composition. The difference between the two cannabinoids is the addition of a carboxyl group to THCa.
In other words, smoking or vaping a cannabis product with a high THCA content does not necessarily mean a higher consumption of THCA, since smoking or vaping converts THCA to THC. Since crystalline THCA can be sold in very high concentrations, applying one of these methods to THCA to convert it to THC can have very powerful effects. In fact, a study on THCA found that “THCA decarboxylates even when stored between 4 and 18 °C (39 and 64 °F), so THC contamination in THCA is almost inevitable. Research on the effects and possible therapeutic uses of THCA is still in its infancy, and scientists are still hopeful about the ways in which THCA can be used for 26% of its effectiveness.
THCA users often mix it into a juice shake or use other methods to prepare the THCA extract or the cannabis plant to eat without using heat. In fact, research on THCA has shown that THCA doesn't seem to bind much to either of the two main cannabinoid receptors.
