What is the Most Potent Cannabinoid?

For you, this might be a scientific curiosity, or it might be a practical issue. But either way, today we’re answering the question: what is the most potent cannabinoid?

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What is a Cannabinoid?

Usually, when we use the term cannabinoid, we are referring to phytocannabinoids, or cannabinoids found naturally in plants. Specifically, there are dozens of phytocannabinoids that have been discovered so far in the cannabis plant – and still counting.

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Each of these molecules interacts to varying degrees with special receptors in your brain, called the endocannabinoid system. This system has a complicated and nuanced role in modulating mood, hunger, pain, inflammation, and other bodily and neurological processes.

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For example, CB1 and CB2 are two receptors that are responsible for the psychotropic or calming effects of some phytocannabinoids.

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Examples of Cannabinoids

The two most famous, and best-studied, phytocannabinoids are THC and CBD. THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, and it binds to CB1, which makes you feel high. CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it antagonizes CB1 to mitigate some of the negative effects of THC. It also binds to CB2, which appears to have a calming and anti-inflammatory effect.

Types of Cannabinoids

If we’re being technical, a cannabinoid is actually any molecule that can bind to a cannabinoid receptor. Cannabinoids don’t have to be phytocannabinoids, and they don’t have to come from cannabis. Here’s a summary of some different types and sources of cannabinoids.

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Endocannabinoids: Endocannabinoids were discovered after phytocannabinoids. Endo means “within” because endocannabinoids are the natural cannabinoids that your body produces on its own. They are the reason that your body has CB1 and CB2 receptors to begin with. Although endocannabinoids bind to the same receptors as THC and CBD, they actually don’t look a whole lot like phytocannabinoids. They don’t interact in the same way, which is why you don’t get “high” from your body’s natural cannabinoids. 2-AG is one example of an endocannabinoid, shown here.

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Phytocannabinoids: As we discussed above, phytocannabinoids include plant compounds found in cannabis, such as THC, CBD, and many more. These cannabinoids actually occur in the carboxylated form (meaning they have an extra chemical group attached to them) and must be heated to release the psychoactive molecules we’re familiar with.

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Synthetic cannabinoids: Molecules that bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors can also be synthesized in the lab. Often, these synthetic cannabinoids are considerably more potent (and more highly regulated). They are used for drug therapy. For example, nabilone and dronabinol are two examples of synthetic cannabinoids used in drug therapy. Nabilone is about twice as strong as delta-9-THC, and seven times stronger than dronabinol.

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Semi-synthetic cannabinoids: Semi-synthetic cannabinoids include compounds like HHC and delta-8-THC. These are compounds that can easily be derived from natural phytocannabinoids using simple chemistry. These compounds are often psychotropic, but have slightly different effects compared to phytocannabinoids. They are popular on the market because they fall into a legal loophole thanks to some ambiguous phrasing in the 2018 Farm Bill.

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What is the Most Potent Cannabinoid?

What determines how potent a cannabinoid is? The stronger a cannabinoid molecule binds to the cannabinoid receptor (in your body), the more potent it is. Usually, when we talk about “potency” we’re referring to the psychotropic effects of the molecule – or how high you will get from consuming it.

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Put simply, the compound that will make you the most high is the one that binds most strongly to the CB1 receptor.

Is THC the Most Potent Cannabinoid?

THC is the most famous psychotropic cannabinoid, because it is the only psychotropic cannabinoid that is found naturally in significant quantities in cannabis. THC refers to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC).

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However, just because it has the advantage of abundance doesn’t mean that it is the most potent cannabinoid.

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There are other cannabinoids that look similar to delta-9-THC with just small structural variations. The structural similarity means that these other cannabinoids can still activate the CB1 receptor, just like THC. Going back to the lock and key model, these other molecules are like keys that are very similar in shape to the THC molecule. Therefore, they often fit the CB1 “lock” almost as well, or sometimes even better.

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For context, here’s a picture of the delta-9-THC molecule:

The carbon chain (zig-zag line) on the right can be shortened or lengthened to create new variations on this structure. Some of these variations occur naturally, but they can also be synthesized in a lab and studied that way. In THC, the chain is 5 carbons long. If it’s shorter than 3 carbons, then the molecule won’t bind to CB1, so it won’t have any psychoactivity. After that, the longer the chain, the more potent the molecule. That’s true all the way up to 8 carbons, after which the potency starts to decrease again.

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THCP

THCP is a naturally-occurring cannabinoid that is probably the most potent cannabinoid that has been identified to date. THCP stands for tetrahydrocannabiphorol. Instead of a 5-carbon chain like THC, it has a 7-carbon chain. It is estimated to be about 30 times more potent compared to THC.

Delta-8-THC and Delta-10-THC

Besides the length of the carbon chain, there are other ways to create variations on THC as well. For example, the double bond on the uppermost ring (hexagon) can be shifted around. This is usually accomplished via semi-synthetic methods.

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The new placement of the double bond results in cannabinoids delta-8-THC and delta-10-THC.

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These molecules have similar or slightly lower potency compared to delta-9-THC, so they’re not in the running for most potent cannabinoid. However, they have other advantages, such as the quality of the high, which may make them more appealing to some consumers. For example, delta-8-THC is often reported to have lower paranoia compared to delta-9-THC.

Some Other Cannabinoids

There are certainly plenty more cannabinoids that have some CB1 activity – although they aren’t nearly as potent as THC. For example, some of these include the CBC cannabinoid, the CBN cannabinoid, and the CBG cannabinoid.

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But just because they aren’t very potent, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about them.

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It’s important to recognize that potency isn’t the only thing you should be looking at when it comes to cannabinoids and cannabis products. It’s not even the most important variable to enhance your high. The quality of your high depends on many factors, not just potency.

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For one thing, you can always increase your dose to achieve a higher potency – regardless of which molecule you’re consuming. For another, your mood, expectations, and surroundings have a colossal impact on your experience.

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Cannabis is a plant with tons of nuance. We’ve already mentioned how delta-8-THC can be more appealing to consumers because it is associated with lower negative side effects. Even though it has roughly the same potency as THC, it may result in a better experience for some consumers. That’s because it has a higher affinity for the CB2 receptor, which helps to balance out the negative effects of THC like anxiety and paranoia.

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The presence of other cannabinoids, and even non-cannabinoid molecules found in cannabis, can have similar effects. This phenomenon is known as the entourage effect. It’s the idea that all of these molecules are contributing synergistically to your overall experience, even if individually they do not seem that powerful. This is true for CBD, CBC, CBN, CBG, and all the other cannabinoids found naturally in cannabis and hemp.

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Cannabis is a complicated matrix, and each plant is different. If you’re curious about fine-tuning your cannabis experience, or if you have questions about any of our products, feel free to contact us for a free consultation.