Shopping the minnesota cannabis market for cannabis flower and cannabis vapes can be confusing. Our Saint Peter recreational cannabis dispensary near Mankato, Minnesota has seen a lot of consumer confusion.
The Confusion
The world of hemp and cannabis can be confusing, especially when there are over 100 different cannabinoids in both cannabis and hemp! CBG, CBD, CBC, CBN, THC, THCV and THCA ; there are so many cannabinoids to learn and understand. Our recreational cannabis dispensary in Saint Peter, Minnesota works to educate every consumer that comes through our doors so they feel confident in their choices.
THCA and Delta 9 THC
For this article, let’s focus on the cannabinoids that seem to be causing the most confusion, THCA and Delta 9 THC. On a daily basis we get customers in shopping for cannabis vapes, cannabis flower, and cannabis edibles that say “Don’t give me that Delta 9 crap!”. Well, without that “Delta 9 crap” you won’t be getting that euphoric high you seek! Just as your friend Robert may go by Bob, cannabinoids do the same thing and Delta 9 is just another name for THC. Delta 9 is simply the scientific word for THC and they are one in the same.
The same cannabinoids can be found in both cannabis and hemp because cannabis and hemp are the same plant. The only thing defining cannabis from hemp are arbitrary laws and definitions put in place, the main determination is the Delta 9 percentage present at harvest. For a plant to be considered hemp it would need to contain less than .3% Delta 9 THC at harvest, if it is over that amount, it is classified as cannabis. That’s right, the higher Delta 9 percentage is what makes the plant Cannabis, so you do indeed want that “Delta 9 crap”. Then there is THCA, the non activated form of Delta-9 THC. Delta-9 THC and THCA are not the same thing, but they are directly related. THCA is the raw, non-psychoactive precursor to Delta-9 THC. When THCA is heated (like when smoked or baked), it converts into Delta-9 THC, which is the compound that causes a “high”.
These are the two cannabinoids in both cannabis and hemp that cause a euphoric high. In edibles, you will be seeing Delta 9 THC because THCA in an edible will remain non-intoxicating because you don’t heat an edible, which means the THCA would not get activated into Delta 9 THC. That is why manufacturers heat or decarboxylate plant matter before infusing it into edibles. The decarboxylation or heating process turns that THCA into active Delta-9 THC.
As the Minnesota Cannabis market begins to open our hope is that you can shop with confidence and better understand the products on the market. Whether shopping cannabis flower or cannabis vapes; just remember, THC and Delta 9 are the same thing. We always tell consumers to ask questions of their budtenders. It is the dispensary employees job to be educated so that they can answer consumer questions with facts and knowledge. If you go into a cannabis dispensary and the budtender’s do not approach you to engage in a conversation, it is probably not the best place to shop.
