As Canada prepares for the legalization of cannabis in 2018, many who have yet to try marijuana are taking a second look, especially for medicinal purposes. With all the recent hype, many people want to know what is THC and what exactly does it do?
In fact, many are turning to THC.com for answers and are finding out something quite surprising. We know we did, but more on that later!
THC is the abbreviation of tetrahydrocannabinol; so, what is tetrahydrocannabinol?
Although tempted to deliver the scientific answer, far too many sources provide that. Instead, a brief history of THC will help our readers not only understand tetrahydrocannabinol, but also the social attitudes swirling around this product.
THC is the abbreviations for Trans-Delta-9-TetraHydroCannabinol. This scientific name identifies the chemical makeup of the psychoactive component in marijuana.
THC is a cannabinoid, which means that the human body can absorb this chemical and use it for various purposes. Throughout history, humans have found that cannabis can help those suffering from various maladies, but the most common use remains pleasure.
Because pleasure is the main use of cannabis, some as early as the turn of the 20th Century sought its ban. This largely came from the Temperance Movement who gave the United States Alcohol Prohibition, which failed miserably.
What is THC: A Brief Legal and Social History
Although the history of cannabis predates modern civilization and as early as 1907, lawmakers in the United States were pushing to ban the substance much later. Answering the question “What is THC?” and what is the history of the substance, inevitably leads to U.S. politics.
In 1964, the United States had just become embroiled in the Vietnam War. This war would result in radical changes to the legal structure of the North American continent, with the U.S. leading.
1964 also marked the year that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Civil Rights Movement was starting to be felt worldwide. Enjoying peace of another kind, beatniks and hippies drove a counter-culture defined by conspicuous cannabis consumption.
While the Vietnam conflict continued, the United States government declared war on its own people – those who enjoyed smoking marijuana. Although it started the Drug War ostensibly to protect society from the ills of illicit drug use, the nation dragged much of the world into its ill-fated experiment.
The mildest of drugs placed on the list of controlled substances, marijuana would soon be viewed as sinister, even dangerous.
Ironically, 1964 also marked the year that scientists discovered THC.
What is THC According to Society?
Although other nations did not have a problem with cannabis (or THC) in the 1960s, the United States used its dominance to virtually force the globe to adopt its standards. Canada followed suit and likewise, began to restrict what may be one of the greatest medicinal plants in history.
With a ban in place, medical and scientific research into cannabis slowed considerably. This is the reason there is so much misinformation and lack of understanding regarding THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) today.
Society at large got on board with the super-restrictive measures and vilified those who used marijuana, even if using for medicinal reasons. That vilification began to dissipate once clinical research began to emerge.
Once society stopped asking “What is THC?” and instead assumed that THC is bad, its research began to slow and has remained that way until the last decade and a half.
Turns out, THC is beneficial for a myriad of ailments. This is largely because of the bodily cannabinoid receptors that allow for the absorption and use of THC, CBD, and CBN.
In fact, cannabinoid receptors are found in nearly every human system, cell, and tissue. This means that compounds which impact bodily functions, including THC, are controlled by these receptors and are valid for medical use.
The marijuana plant, otherwise known as cannabis, provides the chemical drugs needed to provide relief to those suffering from many medical ailments. It turns out that these receptors, now identified as CB1 and CB2 are perfectly structured to allow the body to use the drug components THC, CBD, and CBN.
Scientifically Speaking, what is THC?
THC is the part of the cannabis plant which, once absorbed by the body can alleviate pain, stabilize moods, and more. Tetrahydrocannabinol is a cannabinoid and cannabinoids occur both naturally in the human body and in other sources.
Anyone who has ever rested, relaxed, slept, forgotten something, or eaten anything has used what is called the endocannabinoid system or ECS.
The most common source for what is tetrahydrocannabinol is marijuana, but researchers have identified tetrahydrocannabinol elsewhere. Some of the other plants found to contain THC or similar cannabinoids include citrus plants, broccoli, carrots, and mustard; other plants contain related compounds which have a similar effect on the ECS.
Now, contrary to popular belief, chocolate DOES NOT contain THC. Chocolate DOES however inhibit the fatty acid amide hydrolase levels in the body, which increases levels of anandamide – this acts like a natural version of THC.
The point is, although THC is a psychotropic drug which provides high levels of pleasure to humans, it is also a component found throughout the natural world. Tetrahydrocannabinol is also useful in many medical applications despite what some governments may claim.
What Is THC and Why Does It Get You High?
Anyone who has ever experienced a “runners high” knows that the human body is amazing in its ability to resolve physical problems. The runner’s high occurs when the body controls pain and other physical responses to a hard workout by providing anandamide.
Anandamide is an endogenous cannabinoid. Endogenous simply means that it occurs naturally in the body.
Because the endocannabinoid system readily allows cannabinoids from external sources to bind with existing receptors, THC.com can be introduced to provide relief beyond what the body can naturally supply. Although this may seem odd to some, this is a very common practice.
Anandamide can help ease minor headaches, but when someone needs fast relief for something more severe, they often take aspirin, acetaminophen, or a similar drug.
Migraine sufferers often turn to medical marijuana or THC.com for the same relief; as THC binds to the necessary receptors easier than most commercial headache relief sold today.
50 Years of THC…A Lifetime of Relief
Although scientists discovered THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol over fifty years ago, humans have known of the benefits of marijuana for generations. Many of these people have turned to cannabis and THC-infused products to ease their pain.
Still, it is remarkable that less than a decade after researchers discovered one of the greatest compounds ever, THC, one government has led the world towards a senseless ban on the product.
Since 2005, Canada has led the world to opening the law and allowing adults access to THC for medical purposes. In 2018, the Canadian government takes the lead again by allowing adults to
Whether seeking to ease pain or increase pleasure, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is a natural choice. We hope we provided clear answers to the core questions, what is tetrahydrocannabinol? And what is THC?
Oh, and we promised you information what exactly is on thc.com. So here it is…
Although the website appears to provide useful articles, thc.com has a small problem. Users cannot access it at present. We tried!
To read the articles on thc.com, one must provide an email for verification (presumably for age). Ok.
After clicking the box to provide our email, nothing happened. Nothing. Not ok.
