Hemp derived THC is all the rage
Hemp-derived THC is all the rage and whether you’re looking for a new type of THC for the psychoactive effects or to boost the therapeutic effects of your CBD, then THC-P could be it.
According to most online sources, THC-P is 33X more potent than THC. Really guys? THC-O was marketed as 3X more potent than THC and we all know that wasn’t true.
Most websites publish this kind of statement without even trying it so, in the name of science <sigh>, I did some background research and then tried THC-P for myself, so that you can learn through me about what to really expect.
This article will aim to answer any questions you have about THC-P, as well as help you decide whether THC-P is about to become your newest favorite cannabinoid.
Let’s learn a bit more about THC-P
Before taking THC-P, I wanted to learn a bit more about it. If you’re interested in what I found out, then keep reading, but if you just want to learn about THC-P effects then you can just scroll down to the THC-P: My experience section below. I won’t be offended.
What is THC-P?
Tetrahydrocannabiphorol was only discovered in 2019, so we don’t know a lot about it. If you look at THC-P vs THC, the chemical structure of THC-P differs in the fact that it has seven carbon atoms against D9 THC’s five. This is said to make THC-P 33X more active at CB1 receptors.
How strong is THC-P?
Delta 9 THC is the main compound responsible for making us feel high by binding to the CB1 receptor in our brains, so if THC-P is 33X more active at those receptor sites, like the science says, then it would make sense that it would make us 33X more high. THC-P is also said to have 10 times better binding affinity at CB2 cannabinoid receptors.
However, the tests that provided us with these numbers were performed in vitro, meaning that they were carried out in a lab inside a petri dish or test tube. Now it’s just a case of seeing if this translates in real life, in vivo.
Is THC-P natural or man-made?
THC-P as a compound does occur naturally in cannabis and hemp plants, but the THC-P product you’re offered by retailers is most likely to be man-made because THC-P only occurs in very small amounts in the plant, so it’s just not feasible to offer you THC-P products from a natural source.
So how is THC-P made?
THC-P starts out life in the resinous trichomes of cannabis flowers as CBGA, aka “the granddaddy cannabinoid”. CBGA is then exposed to various enzymes which cause it to convert into any number of acidic cannabinoids, including THCA, CBDA, and THCPA. THCPA then transforms into THC-P via decarboxylation.
How THC-P is made in the lab is anyone’s guess, because the people making it seem to be keeping their recipe very close to their chests. A team of Italian researchers did successfully synthesize THC-P in a lab, but the details are super technical and way beyond me, sorry (I tried!). If you’d like to see the research, then click here.
Does THC-P have medicinal effects?
The pharmacological effects of THC-P were also studied by the same team of researchers. They found that THC-P likely had a THC-like cannabimimetic activity as it was shown to induce hypomotility, analgesia, and catalepsy in mice.
As THC-P is so new, this is the only scientific study available on the compound, but it certainly looks very promising!
Is THC-P legal?
The legal status of THC-P is murky, because as long as THC-P is extracted from hemp or created in a lab from CBD, then it is technically legal on the federal level due to the 2018 Farm Bill. However, if THC-P is considered an analog of THC, then it is illegal due to the Federal Analog Act of 1986.
While the debate rages on, THC-P is openly sold on many websites and in stores and lots of people are said to be buying it in bulk to enjoy it while they can.
Is THC-P safe?
It’s just too early to make any promises on the safety of THC-P, as there haven’t been any scientific studies on it. However, there’s also no reason to suggest that it’s any different than other types of THC. If you’re concerned about safety, then you do need to be careful about where you buy it from.
To ensure that your THC-P product is as safe as possible, make sure the company can provide you with full panel third-party test results that include testing for pesticides, heavy metals, microbials, mycotoxins, and residual solvents (at the very least).
THC-P: The experience
I’m not going to lie, the idea of experimenting with potentially the strongest form of weed cannabinoid known to man was half exciting and half-terrifying. Was I going to feel 33 times more high? And, hold on, what does 33 times more high even feel like?
I can deal with 33 times more relaxed, but as summer approaches, I really hope it doesn’t make me 33 times more hungry. And, holy sh*t, what if I feel 33 times more anxious??
There really is only one way to find out… So, here goes nothing.
Does THC-P get you high?
Yes, without a doubt, THC-P does get you high. I don’t know for sure if it’s exactly 33 times more high but, in my experience, it does get you way higher than Delta 9 THC would in similar quantities.
However, it’s worth noting that when you buy a THC-P product, it’s very likely that it will only contain 10-30mg of THC-P in the entire vape cart or tincture bottle and many are also mixed with Delta 8. This makes it pretty difficult to judge which compound is responsible for which feeling and it also makes it almost impossible to judge the potency of THC-P alone, against Delta 9 THC, because you’re not able to get equal amounts of each compound per puff.
How do you take THC-P?
In the early days THC-P products were more limited but as popularity continues to increase companies are offering more ways to take THC-P. These days you can find THC-P gummies, tinctures, dabs, and THC-P vape carts. You can also buy THC-P distillate and then custom blend your own vape carts or edibles.
What does THC-P feel like?
I personally decided to experiment with a THC-P cartridge, so that I could start off the dosing low and slow. Well, that was one reason. In all honesty, the main reason I chose to vape THC-P over eating it was because then, if I took too much, at least the effects would wear off more quickly!
The THC-P cart I tried was also infused with Delta 8 and since I had also tried Delta 8 carts from this same company, I thought the effects would be easy to compare.
In actual fact I didn’t really feel anything. Have they made it too weak or did I get a dud? I don’t know… But I’ve emailed them to ask how much THC-P and Delta 8 goes into each cart, because the website doesn’t give any info.
Not to be deterred, I tried another THC-P cart from another brand called Binoid, again D8 and THC-P, and this time I was as high as a kite in about three puffs.
I felt happy, relaxed, and fuzzy all over. Super spacey and an instant munchies hit. All of my senses were heightened as I felt like everything was more colorful and the music we were listening to was so much more intense. Any more and I could tell that I would have had serious couch lock for sure, but I was just about able to get up and raid the fridge (nooooo!).
My friend did vape a few more puffs than me and they started acting a bit drunk! He looked slightly confused, mixing up his words and slurring slightly, and then he promptly fell asleep. Perhaps I should have taken a few more puffs after all. At least it would have kept my nose out of the fridge!
Overall, I prefer HHC because I feel like it’s more of an “upper”. I’d need to do a lot more experimentation in order to work out if that’s just the blends of terpenes the different products were infused with, but THC-P feels way more sedating and cozy and HHC feels more energizing and sociable.
Read about my experiment with HHC
Having said that, I’m looking forward to trying THC-P again and listening to some great stoner music (Sigur Ros, Radiohead… Suggestions in the comments please!). I’d also use it if I was having trouble getting to sleep.
THC-P vs THC-O: What’s the difference?
While both THC-P and THC-O are types of THC, they are quite different beasts when it comes to the origin, effects, and their potency, so it’s essential that they’re not confused with one another.
Origin: For starters, THC-O cannot be found anywhere in nature and must be created in a lab. Whereas THC-P is a natural compound but, like Delta 8 and 10, it only exists in small amounts in nature so is created in a lab for us to consume.
Effects: Another difference between THC-P vs THC-O is the time it takes for effects to kick in. THC-P’s effects are pretty instantaneous, similar to that of the Delta THC’s. THC-O is a prodrug, meaning it takes around 20-30 minutes for the effects to start, as the compound has to be metabolized first.
Potency: The final and most crucial difference between the two is their potency. THC-O is said to be 3X more potent than Delta 9, but in reality is more akin to Delta 8 for most people. THC-P, on the other hand, is one of the most potent cannabinoids I’ve ever tried.
Most people estimate THC-P to feel anywhere between five and 30 times stronger than regular THC, but it’s very difficult to judge because the amount of THC-P that you get in any given product is extremely limited.
My experience with Delta 10 THC
THC-P: Round up
If you enjoy getting high, then I would recommend that you try THC-P. It’s effects are very close to a Delta 9 THC high and if you’re not in a cannabis legal state then it may just be the next best thing, with the strongest psychoactive effects I’ve experienced.
For years, people working in the cannabis industry have believed that a cannabis strains’ potency is affected by a lot more than just the THC content. I wonder, could trace amounts of THC-P also be contributing to a strain’s ability to intoxicate?
I hope my experience of THC-P helps you decide whether you want to try it or not and I’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments below.
