THCa has quickly become a very popular product. It’s known for having strong potential benefits. Those benefits are primarily medical, and the popularity stems from knowing that THCa is a non-psychoactive compound. In fact, it has no psychoactive effects when used in its raw form.
In the cannabis industry, it’s not uncommon to discover new things or even try something out because you hear about it. THCa is one of those products that has some unique details.
Does THCa turn into Delta-9 when smoked? In short, yes it does. However, there is a whole lot more to this answer than just a quick yes. In this guide, we will look at Delta-9 THC and THCa to see where the crossover is.
Let’s dive into the details so you know everything you need to know about these products and where they come together.
understanding THCa
Let’s start by looking at THCa. The official word is tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, which is a major mouthful. That’s why we lovingly call it THCa. Anyway, take note that the term has the word acid in it.
It is an acidic form of cannabinoid that is found in a live hemp plant. It can be derived from the hemp plant and maintained in its raw form.
THCa is called the acidic precursor to THC. It is a nonpsychoactive precursor. That means it is just one stop before it becomes THC, specifically Delta-9 THC. We will get to that in a moment!
What you need to know right now is that when THCa is in its raw form, it does not produce any psychoactive effects. It is very similar to Delta-8 THC in this way but is even more mild than that particular cannabinoid.
You’re not going to get high when you use THCa in the way that it was intended to be used — raw and natural.
understanding delta-9 THC
Ok, then we have Delta-9 THC, which does have psychoactive compounds. Delta-9 is said to be the primary psychoactive component in the cannabis plant. It can be found in abundance because of this.
When someone consumes marijuana in whatever way they like, it is Delta-9 cannabinoids that produce their high and euphoric feelings typically.
Now, it can be extracted and turned into different strains, flavors, or products. That’s a totally different subject though. Delta-9 THC interacts with our endocannabinoid system.
It binds to the CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the brain, which is where the body allows it to produce intoxicating effects for the cannabis enthusiast.
decarboxylation transforms THCa
Now, we start getting into the details. Here is the thing. THCa in its raw cannabis plant form does not have psychoactive properties and is used for therapeutic potential.
However, when it goes through this process called decarboxylation, everything changes. THCa is unique and it contains the carboxyl group atom. This group is withheld in a sense, which is why there are no psychoactive effects.
However, through a process called decarboxylation, everything changes. In decarboxylation, a chemical reaction is caused. This chemical reaction changes the chemical structure and removes the carboxyl group from the molecule. When that happens, carbon dioxide within the cannabinoid is released.
That release causes THCa to transform. What does it transform into? You guessed it — Delta-9 THC.
Decarboxylation can be done through a series of processes. Some producers will actually do this during their extraction process to create certain elements, such as diamonds.
However, it can also be done by the cannabis enthusiast at the time they consume the product. This is where people have to be cautious.
The decarboxylation process is just the use of heat. In the official mechanical processes, heat and vacuum are used. However, the conversion of THCa to THC can happen from heat exposure without the vacuum concepts as well.
Basically, heat is the decarboxylation process that transforms THCa into Delta-9 THC.
so, smoking THCa?
Now that you know what you do about heat exposure and decarboxylation, the answer to the question becomes far more self-explanatory. Smoking THCa exposes it to high heat. In fact, smoking is a combustion heat, which is rapid and high temperatures.
When someone smokes any kind of cannabis, they are exposing the plant matter to high temperatures. Smoking does cause decarboxylation to occur, and it does it almost instantly. There is no exception where smoking THCa will not convert it into Delta-9 THC.
That being said, there is also vaping. Vaping is also going to expose THCa to heat. It’s heat that is strong enough to turn the cannabis concentrate or product into a vapor.
Even when you vape the raw form of THCa, it’s going to cause decarboxylation. That means that vaping THCa will turn it into Delta-9 THC. In terms of vaping, some vapes operate at lower temperatures than others. This may cause the effects of THC to be lighter, but they do still occur because of the heat exposure.
other heat methods that cause decarboxylation
Smoking is not the only technique or use of cannabis that will convert THCa. Remember that it is any type of heat exposure that causes the transformation. Did you know that THCa has to be heated before it can be used in something like an edible product? This includes injecting it into gummies.
Let’s talk about some of these methods that cause decarboxylation.
vaping
We mentioned earlier that vaping is going to have results very similar to smoking. Even though vaping is exposed to lower temperatures than smoking, the process of decarboxylation does still occur.
That being said, some users say if you use a low enough temperature, the conversion is very mild. Since the material is not combusted, the conversion process is a little different. However, it still happens, which is what cannabis users need to know and be aware of.
Vaping THCa still converts it into Delta-9 THC.
