Why do marijuana plants produce THC?
THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is a chemical that produces most of the psychological effects of cannabis. According to the National Institute on drug abuse (NIDA), it acts much like cannabinoid chemicals naturally produced by the human body.
THC is the major psychoactive component of the marijuana plant and essentially is the one that gets you “high”. THC is able to do this because we actually have receptors in our brain to which THC binds. … These receptors are called cannabinoid receptors (CB1 or CB2) and they are widely expressed in the brain
Natural plant defense system
All cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, are produced in glands on the leaf surface called trichomes. Trichomes are not unique to cannabis. In fact, many plants have them, and their uses are the same in all plants. They help protect plants from natural enemies, weather and water, and attract pollinators.
The concentration of THC in the flower buds of female cannabis plants was the highest, followed by the leaves, stems and stems of plants.
The largest number of trichomes on cannabis plants is called cephalopod trichomes. They can be 50-100 µ m wide and visible to the naked eye. They are composed of stems and stems with a large gland head at the top. This gland is protected by the waxy cuticle and is the main source of cannabinoid.
One of the theories about why cannabis produces THC is to protect plants from “infection” or disease. THC has strong antibacterial properties in human body. Perhaps it has the same effect on the plants that produce them: they are the “immune system” of cannabis plants.
But not so fast. Compared with plants with low THC content, plants with high THC content are not more resistant to pathogens and pests.
THC (a specific cannabinoid) may protect cannabis plants from absorbing too much ultraviolet light. A recent study from the University of Maryland exposed cannabis plants to UVB rays from around the world. The study found that plants exposed to this light produced more THC than non exposed plants.
Cannabis plants thrive in open areas with large amounts of direct light, whether from the sun or from LED growing lights.
Cannabinoid synthesis begins when plants enter flowering stage. When they produce flowers, the hair cells in the head of the gland begin to metabolize into thc substances. When the color of the trichomes changes, they show a mature state – from transparent to turbid white, and then amber. This change in color represents the peak of its maturity and is also an indicator of the peak time of harvesting plants.
In other words, not all cannabis varieties are the same, and different varieties have hairy bodies with different maturity.
Different varieties of marijuana also contain different levels of THC. Plant genetics determines how much THC a plant can produce, although planting methods can also increase THC content. In order to obtain a really high level of potency and THC, we must start with high potential strains.