Cannabis Conversion

What Does Cannabis Conversion Mean?

Cannabis conversion is what happens when the process of decarboxylation activates the psychoactive properties of the plant’s various cannabinoids. Decarboxylation is required for cannabis conversion to take place – otherwise, consuming the cannabis would have little effect.

Maximum Yield Explains Cannabis Conversion

When most of us think of cannabis we think of THC and the psychoactive properties it has in our bodies – the high that smoking marijuana gives you, or the buzz from eating cannabis brownies, for instance. However, THC is actually not the most readily available cannabinoid in raw cannabis. That title goes to THCA. And, while THCA has some profound benefits for the human body, it’s not a psychoactive agent, meaning it doesn’t produce any sort of buzz. In order to do that, cannabis conversion needs to take place.

Cannabis conversion is the term applied to the process of transforming THCA, and other cannabinoids present in raw cannabis, into THC – a psychoactive chemical. Its proper name, though, is decarboxylation. This is a multistep process, and it begins with harvesting, drying and curing the bud. This is known as the aging process.

Next, heating the cannabis increases the amount of THC in the bud material while decreasing the amount of THCA and other cannabinoids. In fact, heating is responsible for more cannabis conversion than the aging process. This stage of cannabis conversion happens when lighting a joint or blunt, baking your herb in the oven, or heating it via a vaporizer.

While cannabis conversion isn’t strictly necessary in the enjoyment of cannabis, given that THCA provides plenty of health benefits on its own, it is absolutely critical to the typical high associated with the plant’s use.