What Is THCA Flower?

If you’re familiar with cannabis, then you’re likely familiar with its prominent superstar cannabinoid, THC. It’s the compound in weed that delivers that classic “high” we’ve come to know and love, and many consumers have turned to it for its reported beneficial effects, including relieving anxiety, nausea, and chronic pain.

But THC isn’t the only compound you should know about. Flushed with tons of other cannabinoids, cannabis flower may contain CBD, CBN, and the little-known yet increasingly popular THCA. It delivers very similar effects to THC but in a legal form.

Discover everything there is to know about THCA flower, from its effects, legality, how it’s made, and much more. By the end, you’ll want to try this unique cannabinoid for yourself—and we’ve got you covered.

What Is THCA Flower?

Short for "tetrahydrocannabinolic acid,” THCA is the acidic precursor to THC, or “tetrahydrocannabinol.” It has a distinctive chemical structure to THC, but on its own, it isn’t intoxicating. To transform from THCA to THC, it must be heated through a process known as “decarboxylation.” However, once it undergoes that process, it’s activated and becomes a different beast altogether, delivering those sought-after effects we expect from THC.

Simply put, THCA flower is hemp flower with THCA as its main cannabinoid. It can emit all the flavors and aromas that are cherished in your favorite strains, but in a legal form since it’s usually hemp-derived.

How Is THCA Flower Made?

Since hemp flower is a natural product, you might expect that THCA flower is grown like any other hemp plant. That’s true, but only half the answer. Growing THCA flower requires special care to balance out the THCA and THC levels.

Method One: Growing From Seed to Harvest

Under the 2018 Farm Bill, it’s legal to sell and consume hemp products as long as they contain 0.3% THC or less. However, cannabis and hemp flower typically contain much more than this legal cutoff, even before it’s decarboxylated, which makes it a challenge to produce THCA-dominant plants. So the goal, when growing it, is to preserve the flower’s THCA levels while ensuring the THC levels don’t exceed the legal limit.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of steps that go into growing high-THCA flower from seed to harvest. It starts by selecting strains that aren’t too high in THC to begin with. Then, it requires carefully monitoring environmental factors, such as temperature, moisture, soil pH, and many other variables that go into creating world-class cannabis or hemp plants. And perhaps the most crucial step of all happens at the very end—the flower must be harvested at just the right time for adequate expression of THCA, but not THC.

Method Two: Infusion

Many fans of THCA flower claim that growing it from scratch is the best way to capture all the goodness of the plant in a purely natural way. However, it’s not the only way to get THCA-dominant flower. The second method involves infusing fresh hemp flower with pure THCA for a convenient solution to the problem of keeping THC levels beneath the legal threshold—and you don’t have to start your own cannabis crop to indulge in the benefits.

How is it done? Simple: Harvested and cured hemp flower is infused or coated with THCA crystals. This highly specialized form of cannabinoid is created by adding a gentle solvent to already-harvested flower containing THCA. Once the THCA is dissolved in the solution, it’s allowed to slowly evaporate, leaving behind the characteristic crystals (or “diamonds”) of pure THCA. These crystals can then be used however you like, from boosting up joints and blunts to infusing into homemade edibles.

Is THCA Legal?

Regarding legality, the Farm Bill of 2018 was a significant step forward for hemp products. Under that law, if hemp products contain less than 0.3% THC by dry weight, they’re legal. And since THCA is simply a chemical precursor to THC but doesn’t contain the cannabinoid itself, then THCA products are legal under federal law.

However, even though the Farm Bill helped clarify the legal status of hemp products, some states still classify THCA in a gray area, so it’s important to look up your personal state’s laws to see if THCA can be purchased or ordered online.

Additionally, you may wonder if THCA products will appear on drug tests. If you consume decarboxylated THCA, most sources agree that it will show as THC on a test.

Does THCA Flower Get You High?

THCA, by itself, isn’t intoxicating, but this changes when it gets decarboxylated. Non-intoxicating THCA turns into THC when you light it up. So, if you were to ingest THCA flower as is or even THCA tinctures, you wouldn’t feel any of the expected mental or cerebral effects.

THCA vs THC Flower: Effects and Differences

Depending on the specific strain you’re working with, when THCA is heated, you can expect a mix of euphoria, cerebral uplift, bodily relaxation, and all the other great benefits you’d expect from THC. But, is THCA flower as strong as THC flower?

In general, most people report that the psychoactive high from THCA isn’t as intense as it is with THC. However, just because the mental impact isn’t usually as strong doesn’t mean the physical impact isn’t either. Some consumers report that the physical effects can be even greater when consuming THCA flower—depending on your needs and goals, this is often seen as a benefit. Of course, effects on your body will depend on individual circumstances, such as your unique metabolism and personal endocannabinoid system.

While research on THCA is still developing, some studies suggest it may help reduce inflammation, help control seizures, and may have powerful anti-nausea effects. As interest in this exciting cannabinoid grows, we can expect to see more research diving deeper into THCA flower and its benefits.

Let Us Hook You Up! Get THCA Flower Delivered With The Dopest

Whether it’s created by growing naturally high-THCA strains or by infusing dried hemp flower with THCA crystals, this intriguing cannabinoid offers a more mellow—but no less impactful—experience compared with THC.

If you’re ready to try THCA flower for yourself, we’re here to help! We’re proud to stock the best quality THCA products anywhere, including The Dopest THCA flower, THCA diamonds, and more. You know you’re getting pure THCA products through our third-party testing and Certificates of Analysis (COAs). Click here to view test results for all the products we sell.

Shop in-store from one of our many retail partners, or order online and get THCA delivered right to your door. Your order will be processed within 24 - 48 hours, and delivery typically takes no longer than 3 - 7 business days in most locations. Due to state laws, The Dopest can not currently deliver THCA products to the following locations: Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont.

Want to learn more about THCA flower? Visit our blog for the latest tips, research, and news on THCA and other legal hemp compounds.