Do THCA Vapes Get You High?

Vapes you can buy online containing the cannabinoid THCA are all the rage right now as reports continue to spread on social media that they offer the same effects as THC vapes bought at dispensaries. Is it true that THCA disposables and carts get you high, though, or is this just another case of a hemp cannabinoid becoming the recipient of too much hype?

The short answer is that yes, THCA vapes absolutely get you high. We’ll cover why and answer a lot of other related questions over the course of this guide.

Getting high from THCA vapes: An overview

• THCA vapes are vape cartridges or disposable vape pens that contain the cannabinoid precursor tetrahydrocannabinolic acid
• They offer the same effects as THC vapes because vaporizing converts THCA into THC
• If they contain less than 0.3% THC, however, THCA vapes are considered industrial hemp
• As a result, THCA vapes can be sold across state lines and are shipped to all 50 states
• Again, the THCA in the vapes converts into THC, marking the first time in hemp history that “real weed” vapes have been sold online

What is a THCA vape?

A THCA vape is a vape cartridge or disposable vape pen that contains THCA, the precursor to THC. Heat is one of the catalysts that can transform THCA into THC, and the heat necessary to vaporize cannabis extract is far more than sufficient to trigger this transformation.

As a result, the THCA in these vapes becomes THC before it even enters your lungs. Until the point that it is heated, however, THCA remains separate from THC for regulatory purposes, making your vape the same as a CBD product from the perspective of the federal government.

THCA vapes vs. THC vapes

While they might be subtle, there are a few relevant differences between THCA and THC vapes that we should explore:

•  Unlike THC vapes, THCA vapes must contain less than 0.3% THC
• THCA vapes convert to THC when used, however, making this distinction irrelevant to the user
• THCA vapes can be sold online while THC vapes can only be sold within the states where they are manufactured
• THCA is viewed differently for regulatory purposes, so it’s usually seen as hemp while THC is still considered marijuana

Otherwise, THC and THCA vapes are basically identical. They each can contain live resin terpenes, and THCA distillate is, overall, the same quality as the THC equivalent.

Freed from the taxation and regulatory requirements imposed on THC producers, THCA vape manufacturers may even be more capable of producing high-quality, pure extracts that pay true homage to the power of the cannabis plant. Tapping into a national audience, online brands have more capital to build out their products, potentially making THCA vapes better than even top-shelf vapes at cannabis dispensaries that cost twice as much or more.

What do THCA vapes do?

THCA vapes provide the same effects as THC vapes because THCA converts into THC at a threshold much lower than the temperature applied during the vaping process. So, all the characteristic effects of THC intoxication are there: Euphoria, sensory changes, mood uplift, even sleepiness.

If THCA vapes contain terpenes, they can even offer the specific effects of indica, sativa, or hybrid strains. Essentially, THCA vapes can do everything that THC vapes can do, but they’re much more widely available.

Types of THCA vapes

The two most common types of THCA vapes are:

• THCA vape cartridges: These types of vapes have to be attached to batteries. They aren’t as convenient as disposables.
• Disposable THCA vapes: Recently, disposable THCA vapes have become the more popular option due to their all-in-one design, which combines the battery and the cartridge.

Even among disposable THCA vapes, though, there are considerable differences. Some THCA disposables may still not come with recharging ports, an outdated style that sometimes prevents you from using all the extract in your vape. The best THCA vapes also feature viewing windows that allow you to see how much extract is left inside.

How to choose the best THCA vape

As you peruse the various THCA vapes that are available on the market, here are some of the factors you should keep in mind:

Consider strains

With THCA vapes, there’s really no excuse for not including strain-specific THCA extract that offers the exact effects customers want to experience. Each strain of THCA vape will provide different effects, so select carefully between options like White Fire OG and Mimosa.

Compare brands

THCA has exploded into popularity recently, but that’s no guarantee every THCA manufacturer you come across offers high-quality or even safe products. The best THCA brands are those that have been around for a long time, such as trusted companies in the CBD space that have recently expanded into new cannabinoids.

Check lab reports

Lab reports are critical tools you’ll need to use to determine whether a THCA vape product is worth trying or not. Brands should make their lab reports easy to find, and they should be comprehensive, including information on both potency and contaminant levels.

Contact customer service

If you’re at all unsure about the trustworthiness of a THCA vape manufacturer, try contacting customer service. You can learn a lot just from how long it takes a representative to respond to your message and the quality of the service you provide. If you get a bad vibe or don’t get a response at all, look for a more reputable company with which to do business.

Summary: Will I get high from a THCA vape?

Yes, you will absolutely get high if you hit a vape that is high in THCA. This cannabinoid converts into THC when vaporized, after all, and everyone knows that THC is the cannabinoid that gets you high.

THCA vapes mark a turning point in the history of the hemp industry. For the first time, you can buy online the same exact types of products you can buy at a dispensary.

If you have any questions regarding how this is possible, please refer to the letter Kight Law issued on behalf of Secret Nature. Otherwise, simply take a chance to bask in the glow of this new hemp Renaissance, which is finally making the full effects of cannabis available to everyone.

THCA vape intoxication FAQ

Still curious about the intoxication potential of THCA vapes? Unravel the mystery further in the following FAQ section:

How powerful are THCA vapes?

THCA vapes are generally just as powerful as THC vapes since the THCA they contain converts into THC during the process of vaporization. Check the THCA percentage in a particular vape to determine how much THC you will inhale when you hit your vape. Some THCA vapes contain other cannabinoids as well to accentuate their effects.

Do THCA vapes get you as high as delta 9 vapes?

Yes, THCA vapes will get you just as high as delta 9 vapes since THCA converts into delta 9 THC when vaporized. THCA is the direct chemical precursor to THC, which means it’s designed to convert into THC and can do so when exposed to a variety of different stimuli — heat being just one example. Despite this close chemical relationship, THCA and THC are seen differently from a regulatory perspective.

What is a high THCA percentage for vapes?

Vapes can be considered “high-THCA” when they contain any more than 5% tetrahydrocannabinolic acid. Generally, though, vapes are only considered to be high in THCA if they contain at least 30% of the cannabinoid. Some THCA vapes contain as much as 60-90% THCA, but higher cannabinoid concentrations are usually accompanied by reductions in flavor and overall user experience.

Where is THCA banned?

To our knowledge, THCA has not specifically been banned anywhere. There is no federal ban on THCA since the 2018 Farm Bill and the DEA’s own statements indicate that THCA is industrial hemp, not marijuana.

And, despite some jurisdictions attempting to place restrictions on THCA commerce, we are not aware of any successful attempts to disrupt the flow of THCA products to the people who want or need them. Now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, it is very unlikely that any attempts to ban THCA in the future will be effective.

Is THCA toxic?

No, there is no indication that THCA is toxic to any greater degree than THC is toxic. Compared to the vast body of research that has amassed regarding THC, very few studies have been conducted into the safety and benefits of THCA specifically.

All the research that has been conducted, however, indicates that THCA could be very beneficial and that it likely offers an even better safety profile than THC. For its part, THC is known to have some relatively significant side effects, but it rarely results in hospitalization and no cases of THC becoming life-threatening in otherwise healthy individuals have ever been reported.

Is THCA an “active cannabinoid?”

No, in scientific terms, THCA is considered an “inactive” cannabinoid, meaning it does not have any significant impact on the conventional cannabinoid receptors. The process of heating THCA “activates” it, turning it into the psychoactive cannabinoid THC.

This terminology has largely been discarded, however, as the popularity of CBD has put the benefits of cannabinoids in new light. Cannabinoids do not have to activate the CB1 and CB2 receptors to be seen as having useful effects anymore, making the relevance of terms like “active” and “inactive” dubious in the context of cannabinoids.

How do THCA vapes affect your brain?

THCA vapes affect your brain in the exact same way as THC vapes since THCA converts into THC when heated. As far as the neurological effects of THC go, scientists have known for decades that THC stimulates partial expression of both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, the so-called “cannabinoid receptors” that scientists used to explain the effects of THC for years.

In the course of subsequent research, synthetic forms of THC were made that offered near-total CB1 receptor activation, leading scientists to respect cannabinoids in the THC family as potentially powerful forces of both healing and psychosis. Natural THC, however, with its partial CB1 expression generally provides slight neurological distortions that express themselves in various experienced effects.

While full-on hallucinations are rare with THCA or THC, the cannabinoid family certainly has a psychoactive effect in that THC and related substances considerably alter your frame of consciousness. In many studies, THC also provides considerable relief from pain, leading researchers around the world to respect THC and THCA as powerful tools for both healing and self-expression.