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It has been a continual quest for us at Greenlight Natural to work to educate our customers on the exact nature of the products we sell. Perhaps nothing has been so daunting as explaining to customers what THCa is. This is largely due to the fact that it seems too good to be true. Legal cannabis - exactly as I can buy in Colorado - here in Nebraska!? Yes, my friends - it is true. To explain this, I would like you to ask yourself the question: why do we smoke cannabis at all? Sure, it tastes great - but there is a specific reason, and that reason is called: Decarboxylation.
THCa, or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, is the natural, non-psychoactive form of THC found in raw cannabis. To experience the psychoactive effects cannabis is known for, this compound needs to be converted into THC through a process called decarboxylation. Decarboxylation happens when cannabis is exposed to heat, which is why smoking, vaporizing, or cooking the plant is necessary for its full effects. Without this process, THCa remains inactive, meaning consuming raw cannabis won’t get you high.
But why is this the case? It’s due to the structure of THCa. In its raw form, THCa has an extra carboxyl group (a combination of carbon and oxygen) attached to its molecular structure. This group prevents it from binding to the cannabinoid receptors in our brain that are responsible for producing the psychoactive effects. Heating the cannabis removes this group, converting THCa into THC, which then fits perfectly into our receptors, allowing us to feel its effects.
This transformation is not new or artificial—it's a natural part of how cannabis works and has always worked. For centuries, humans have consumed cannabis through smoking or other methods involving heat, unknowingly activating the THC. In ancient times, people might have noticed that dried cannabis or cannabis burned in a fire had stronger effects than fresh, raw cannabis, simply because the decarboxylation process was taking place.
The necessity of heat to activate cannabis’s psychoactive potential is not a modern discovery or a result of human interference—it’s a natural process. Just as cooking food alters its flavor and texture, heating cannabis activates its psychoactive properties, unlocking THC from THCa as nature intended.
This still begs the question, however: WHY IS THIS LEGAL IN NEBRASKA?? Well, The 2018 Farm Bill, officially known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, significantly changed the legal landscape for cannabis products, especially hemp. The bill legalized hemp and its derivatives, as long as they contain no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. Delta-9 THC is the psychoactive compound responsible for the "high" from cannabis. However, the Farm Bill doesn’t directly address THCa (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), which is why THCa products are often sold legally.
The key reason why THCa is legal under the 2018 Farm Bill is that it’s not delta-9 THC. In its raw form, THCa is a non-psychoactive compound. The law focuses on delta-9 THC content, not its precursors, like THCa. Since raw cannabis plants or products containing THCa don’t naturally convert to delta-9 THC without heat, they technically meet the legal requirement of containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC. As long as a product falls within this limit, it’s classified as legal hemp under the bill.
And there we have it - legal Cannabis in Nebraska!