Meet THC-O, a hemp-derived compound that is three times stronger than THC

In recent months, a synthetic compound made from hemp called THC-O-acetate – often referred to simply as THC-O (pronounced “THC oh”) – has rapidly gained popularity among Americans who do not have access to legal cannabis.

THC-O products are becoming increasingly popular in states where consumers do not have access to legal cannabis.

The appeal of THC-O lies in its potency and legal status. Research has shown that it is roughly three times stronger than regular THC. It has been called “the psychedelic cannabinoid” because of its marginal hallucinatory effects. Because it’s made from state-legal hemp, THC-O products are becoming increasingly popular in states where consumers do not have access to legal, state-licensed Delta-9 THC products.

And now that Delta-8 THC, its trendy cousin, has been banned in some states in the country and marked by the DEA, THC-O’s star could rise even faster.

While THC-O products like vape carts and tinctures are available for purchase online, both their legal status and safety have not been proven.

Read on to learn more about the history of THC-O-Acetate, its potential benefits, and the risks that you should know before trying it out for yourself.

What is THC-O?

Although many of us have only recently heard of THC-O, the US military began researching its effects as early as 1949; They observed that it affected dog muscle coordination twice as much as regular delta-9 THC.

Typically, acetic anhydride is added to Delta-8-THC to make Delta-O-Acetate.

THC-O didn’t appear on DEA’s radar until almost 30 years later. In 1978 DEA agents discovered a secret laboratory in Jacksonville, Florida that had combined a cannabis extract with acetic anhydride. But THC-O did not enter the illegal market for the next 10 years. Since it didn’t appear to be a growing problem, the federal drug agency declined further investigation into the unusual compound.

Today, the production of THC-O-acetate is a concern for some in the state-licensed cannabis industry. To create the molecule, a highly flammable compound called acetic anhydride is added to the THC molecules. The process involves a series of extractions starting with hemp, the low-THC cannabis plant that was federally legalized by Congress in the Farms Act of 2018. First of all, CBD is extracted from raw hemp. Then Delta-8 THC is extracted from the CBD. Finally, acetic anhydride is added to the delta-8 THC molecules to make THC-O-acetate.

Experts say that this process should only be performed under controlled laboratory conditions due to the health risks involved.

More about hemp-based THC derivatives

Don’t do THC-O at home

“The manufacturing process of THC-O-acetate is inherently dangerous,” said the renowned cannabis researcher Dr. Ethan Russo recently told Hemp Grower. “That has to be done in a technical laboratory with a vacuum hood [and] no exposure to people. ”

If you want to use Delta-O, always buy, never yourself.

Some THC-O dealers have repeated Russo’s warnings on their own websites. “Please do not try to make THC-O yourself,” warns the Honest Marijuana Co., an online seller of THC-O products. “The process requires special equipment and advanced training to be correct. And volatile, flammable and explosive chemicals are necessary. Your life (or your home or your eyebrows) isn’t worth doing anything that can make a laboratory better and safer. If you want to use THC-O, always buy, never DIY. ”

When successfully made, THC-O-Acetate resembles a thick brown liquid, similar to motor oil. As such, it can be consumed in vape cartridges, tinctures, and edibles.

Is THC-O Safe to Use?

A lack of research and a profound lack of regulation based on current data mean that THC-O-acetate mysteries are rife.

In addition to its effectiveness, researchers have found that THC-O-acetate is a “prodrug,” which means that the compound is not activated until it has been metabolized. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes for it to set in.

James Stephens is a cannabis researcher and chemist. He researched the effects of THC-O while working for Iron Light, a cannabis product and branding consultancy based in Missoula, Montana. Stephens points out that there are currently big differences in product quality at the start of the drug’s launch.

“If you are using poor quality extract material and poor quality reagents that you bought online from Alibaba or whatever, you are likely getting a lot less pure from a product than if you were using clean one [and pharmaceutical-grade] Reagents and do many downstream cleaning steps, ”said Stephens Leafly.

Related

Is Delta-8 THC Safe? That’s what the experts say

What is in these products?

Stephens reaches out to THC-O-Acetate makers online on a regular basis. When they send him test results, he is alarmed by the lack of specificity. “There are 10-15% unknowns in there. I ask, ‘What is the rest?’ And they say, ‘We don’t know’ … That’s what usually ends the conversation. ”

With any vape cartridge sold outside of a government-licensed cannabis system, there is always a concern about potentially toxic additives admixed with cannabis oil. These diluents have created serious health problems in the past and nothing prevents unregulated companies from adding them without informing consumers.

Additionally, Stephens noted that smoking the molecule in a vape cartridge raises additional questions as combustion can activate other chemical processes. “We just don’t know [what happens]but you can’t go around and say this stuff is safe, ”he told Leafly.

It’s strong so go slow

Stephens is also concerned that side effects to THC-O-Acetate could have a bigger impact on the capitalized legalization movement. “My biggest fear,” he said, “is just the first overdose, the equivalent of a satanic panic or whatever you want to call it.”

Excessive consumption of traditional cannabis has never resulted in direct death in humans. However, with a compound three times stronger than delta-9-THC, there is a risk that consumers will ingest too much THC-O and suffer from some nasty effects. Of course, highly potent cannabis concentrates like dabbing oil, wax and shatter have been sold legally for many years – so the risk of a bad trip with THC-O is relative.

Is THC-O Really Legal?

Well it depends who you ask.

Manufacturers of THC-O-acetate products say they are protected by the Agriculture Act passed by Congress in 2018 because the molecule came from a chain of custody that began with federally legal hemp plants. But they also seem insecure. As Binoid, a top seller of the active ingredient and other derivatives such as Delta 10-THC and HHC, admits on the company’s own website: “That’s actually hard to say.”

With their competitor Bearly Legal Hemp Company, the name says it all.

However, some experts believe the connection is not legal. They rely on the Federal Analogue Act of 1986, which states that any substance analogous to a List I drug – in this case conventional THC – itself qualifies as a List I drug.

But this argument could similarly be used to argue against the legality of Delta-8-THC, or perhaps even CBD. It all depends on where the line between “analog” and “not analog” is drawn.

State laws and regulations are trying to catch up

As with products containing delta-8-THC and delta-10-THC, products containing THC-O exist in the marginal legal space between hemp (which is nationally legal) and cannabis (which is not). State regulators and lawmakers are currently playing tricks with the growing number of hemp-derived compounds, banning new compounds only to see new derivatives take their place.

In states where cannabis is legally consumed, cannabis regulators by and large ignore these hemp-derived compounds as they do not fall under their strict regulatory remit. Local police and health authorities have more pressing issues like violent crime and the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, some state-licensed companies in constitutional states are increasingly concerned that unlicensed THC products made from hemp are undercutting their market and damaging the reputation of the cannabis sector with potentially unhealthy products.

Until THC-O and other hemp derivatives fall under a government regulated system, consumers will have to weigh the risks and benefits of these compounds for themselves.

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson probably has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any writer on the cannabis beat. He also writes on music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled folk. He is the co-host of The Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

View article by Max Savage Levenson

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