What is THCa Flower?

Cannabis is confusing! I am trying to help people understand it better. Today, I am focused on a very popular term now but that was not that popular a few years ago until hemp became legal through the Farm Act of 2018. It actually was not mentioned in that law!

THCA was discovered in the 1990s. It is tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. Hanley Center, a pioneer in addiction treatment that was formed in 1984 in Florida, defines it as "a non-intoxicating chemical present in cannabis, and is the precursor of the well-known hallucinogenic chemical present in cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)."

The Farm Act of 2018 legalized hemp as long as the weight of the THC in it was less than 0.3%. From the legal hemp, THCA is legal to ship, and it is a big business now. People buy THCA from hemp, which is federally legal, and the heat from the fire used to smoke it converts the THCA into THC.

I heard about 25 Hour Farms from a friend of mine yesterday, and this company sells THCA in flower form as well as in other formats:

So, THCA from hemp is a federally legal bypass for those who want to smoke cannabis, which is federally illegal but legal in some states for medical purposes or for adult-use purposes.

THCa Benefits

As I said, THCA can be federally legal. Consumers can smoke it and get THC, or they can consumer it in other ways. THC can be good for many health issues, and many people also enjoy it. So, THCA enables health, freedom and pleasure. I am not trying to convince anyone that they should use cannabis products, but there is a lot of evidence out there that they can be good.

THCa Risks

Just as I didn't really share the THC benefits in detail, I am not sharing the THC risks, though there are many, including the impacts on memory and attention. There are mental health risks as well as dependency issues. Smoking THC or THCa can impact the lungs too, and of course there are driving risks.

The entire hemp market suffers from lack of regulation. The FDA does not get involved at all. As I have pointed out, there are bad retailers and bad products. Some bad products are sold to children.

I mentioned 25 Hour Farms, and this company is doing some things that I don't like. The big problem with THCa flower is that it can be unregulated. This means it may not be safe. I don't like that the website does not list the name of any owners or operators of the company. It says it is based in North Carolina (at a UPS store in Mooresville), and that the hemp is grown near Chattanooga, Tennessee. There is no address provided. Another thing that concerns me is that the company sells some products with very high amounts of THC. I do like that they provide lab testing.

Conclusion

As I often say here, the world is changing. Smokable hemp, loaded with THCA, has become very popular, and there are other hemp-derived cannabinoid products too. Of course, the federal government may push back against hemp, and many states are already doing so, including prohibition. What America needs is better regulation!