The post What Is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) And What Does It Do? appeared first on High Times.
Throughout its life, a cannabis plant will produce more than 400 different chemical compounds. But the presence of just one of those hundreds of compounds has sealed cannabis’ fate for nearly a century, making it one of the most persecuted plants on the planet. And all because this one compound happens to interact with the human body in such a way as to produce a complex signature of effects—a “high” unlike any other. Its name is THC. What is THC and what does THC stand for? Tetrahydrocannabinol. More importantly, what does THC do to the brain?
THC is one of the 113 chemical compounds found only in the plant genus Cannabis, which scientists call cannabinoids. THC, however, is unique among all the rest for one, massively important reason: it’s the most potently psychoactive.
But exactly what is THC, and why does it produce the wide range of pleasurable (and sometimes not-so-pleasing) effects it does? What does THC do to the brain? How does it affect the body? Is it safe, or as dangerous as heroin, like the federal government says?
Decades of unanswered questions, confusion, and misinformation have distorted the public’s understanding of cannabis and the psychoactive cannabinoid that has made it the most popular illicit drug in the world.
This comprehensive guide to THC aims to set the record straight. In addition to essential information about THC, we focus in on the importance of the cannabinoid for recreational and medical users, survey the current research on the drug, and share our thoughts about what the future holds for