THCA Products: The Next Big Cannabinoid

There is a lot about hemp that will make you scratch your head. Which hemp-derived cannabinoids get you high? What are the legal regulations surrounding hemp? How do manufacturers extract cannabinoid oil from hemp? With a bit of research, you can find suitable answers to these questions. However, some hemp topics are significantly more challenging to understand. The cannabinoid THCA and THCA products fall under the latter category.

Many people believe that hemp and cannabis are different plants. This is not true. Hemp is a legal classification of cannabis. The United States government regulates hemp and requires it to have less than 0.3% THC. However, there is no regulation against the amount of THCA in hemp.

THCA is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid closely related to the psychoactive cannabinoid THC. Although they are separate cannabinoids, one chemical reaction changes THCA to THC. That reaction is heat. Therefore, if you have ever smoked marijuana, you are using heat to transform non-psychoactive THCA into psychoactive THC.

You can find a lot of cannabis flower online marketed as THCA hemp flower. The THCA flower is legal because it contains less than 0.3% THC. However, all it takes to transform the hemp flower into a THC high is to roll it up and smoke it. So, legal THCA hemp flower is essentially cannabis flower with different marketing.

If this information is making your head spin, do not worry. In this article, we will distill the complex loopholes surrounding THCA into digestible information. We will address the science behind THCA a little further, move on to the legal regulations for THCA products, and end with the benefits of THCA products. Once you finish reading, you will be an expert on THCA and THCA products.

The Science Behind THCA

As we have already addressed, THCA is closely related to THC. Although THCA and THC are different cannabinoids, all it takes is heat to change THCA into THC. So if you smoke THCA flower or dab THC oil, you are inhaling THC.THCA product science

If you have ever shopped at a cannabis dispensary in a legal state, you likely noticed that most products contain a THC percentage. For example, you might have seen cannabis flower labeled as 25% THC. The 25% THC cannabis flower does not consist of 25% THC; it is mostly THCA. For 25% THC cannabis flower, the makeup is typically 24% THCA and ~1% THC. However, the distinction between THCA and THC is usually unnecessary because most people that buy cannabis flower will smoke it, so the THCA will become THC.

Although THCA may seem to be exclusively a vehicle to consume THC, consuming THCA has benefits too. The simplest way to consume THCA is to ingest flower directly. Many people like grinding up flower and mixing it into a smoothie or juice. Others buy THCA oil and do not dab it but eat it instead. Since THCA is non-psychoactive, it does not cause a high like THC. So, you get the benefits of consuming THC without the high.

THCA may possess certain health benefits. Studies show that THCA is better than THC at reducing inflammation in muscles and joints. Also, research indicates that THCA is a neuroprotectant. The neuroprotection qualities mean it could help with neurological conditions such as MS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. Someday, doctors may use THCA products to treat countless diseases and disorders.

The Legality of THCA Products

Now that we understand the science behind THCA, we can better understand the legal regulations behind THCA. In 2018, the United States Congress passed the Farm Bill, which legalized hemp. They classified hemp as cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC. However, the bill did not regulate the amount of THCA in hemp. Therefore, hemp plants could contain unlimited amounts of THCA as long as the amount of THC was less than 0.3%.

The THC requirement exposes an obvious loophole in the hemp regulations. Since even potent cannabis plants contain around 1% of THC, it is not impossible to reduce the THC amount to less than 0.3%. For example, a cannabis product with 24% THCA and 1% THC is illegal cannabis. However, a cannabis product with 24.7% THCA and 0.3% THC is legal hemp. Therefore, you can buy legal “hemp” with lots of THCA, which, for all intents and purposes, is potent cannabis when you smoke it.

So, can you buy THCA hemp legally in the United States? The answer is technically yes, but there are a lot of caveats. Some states have explicitly outlawed THCA flower, whereas others have not. However, THCA producers can legally ship THCA products to any state. That means it is completely legal if you purchase THCA online from a hemp legal state. However, law enforcement may see it differently. Some law enforcement tests for hemp and cannabis heat the sample, which changes THCA to THC. Therefore, law enforcement may believe your legal THCA hemp is illegal, high THC cannabis. Before you purchase any THCA products, double-check your state’s laws about THCA sales and consumption.

The Uses of THCA Products

Now that we understand the possible benefits of THCA and its legality, we can discuss some THCA products. For many people, THCA flower is a legal replacement for marijuana. You can legally buy THCA online and have it shipped to your home anywhere in the United States. In many states where THCA is legal, it is also legal to consume THCA products. THCA flower and dab oil will deliver the authentic Delta 9 THC high so many people love.THC-A Product

Other people may be more interested in the possible health benefits of THCA. THCA is very similar to CBD. They are both non-psychoactive, so they will give you the benefits of cannabis without the high. If you take CBD but want even more help with inflammation, THCA can be a godsend. THCA tinctures, pills, or ground-up flower can immediately impact your body. Someday, THCA products may be as popular as their CBD counterparts.

Overall, THCA is the next big thing in legal hemp. THCA products possibly help inflammation and act as a neuroprotectant. For those who espouse cannabis’ health benefits, THCA is a must-try. However, the main interest in THCA products is the ability to buy legal Delta 9 THC products. Hemp law compliant THCA can result in a boom of legal THC cannabis, so THCA is sure to be a hot topic for years to come.