What are Cannabis and Cannabinoid Isomers? What You Must Know

What do CBD, CBG, delta 8 THC, delta 9 THC, delta 10 THC, and all of the other cannabinoids on the market have in common?  Well, besides the fact that cannabinoids are all derived from the hemp plant, and that many offer similar beneficial effects to one another, they’re all isomers.  This is a term you’ve likely been hearing frequently lately, and there is good reason for that, as you will soon find out here.

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What Exactly are Isomers?

Isomers refer to two or more molecules that ultimately share an identical molecular formula, but a different molecular structure.  What this means is that isomers have the same number of atoms for each of their elements, but the atoms are rearranged in a unique way.  If you were to simply rearrange the atoms of one molecule, therefore, you’d be able to convert it into the other.

Ultimately, isomers are split into one of two categories:

• Structural Isomers: Have an identical chemical formula, but their atomic arrangements are different from one another.  
• Stereoisomers: Have an identical chemical formula and atomic arrangement, but their spatial arrangements are different from one another.

Isomers in Cannabis

Cannabis yields over 100 individual cannabinoids, including, but not limited to CBD (cannabidiol), CBN (cannabinol), delta 8 THC (delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol), delta 10 THC (delta-10 tetrahydrocannabinol), THC-P (tetrahydrocannabiphorol), HHC (hexahydrocannabiphorol), and many more.  Each of these cannabinoids interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) in a specific way, attaching to individual cannabinoid receptors at different rates, in order to yield a variety of effects, including psychoactive and non-psychoactive effects (pain relief, lowered stress, anti-nausea effects, etc.).  

All of these cannabinoids are isomers – more specifically, structural isomers – which means that their atomic composition is identical, but structured in a distinctive way, which determines how the cannabinoid attaches to specific cannabinoid receptors.  For instance, delta 9 THC and THC-P are isomers, but due to changes in the arrangement of their carbon side chains, THC-P can attach to CB1 receptors in the brain at about 33x the rate of delta 9, which makes THC-P 10x more intoxicating.

CBG: The Mother Cannabinoid

The reason why all of these cannabinoids are isomers of one another is because of their relationship to CBG (cannabigerol).  CBG has been nicknamed “the mother cannabinoid”, since it’s the original cannabinoid in cannabis before the plant matures, and once the plant does mature, CBG splits off and becomes those 100+ other cannabinoids that we know of.  As all of them are converted from cannabigerol, their atomic compositions are identical to one another.

Using Isomers to Our Advantage

All cannabinoids are isomers, and that is actually extremely important, as it pertains to the hemp industry.  And, you may be taking advantage of this fact of biology more than you realize.

Let’s look at the cannabinoid composition of the hemp plant.  CBD (cannabidiol) is the dominant cannabinoid by far, making up anywhere from 10-25% of the plant’s chemical composition.  Then, we have minor cannabinoids – for instance, delta 8 makes up only 0.1% of the plant’s chemical composition.  

In order to create a delta 8 distillate, which is used to produce vapes, tinctures, gummies and so on, you’d need a huge amount of raw hemp material, as each individual plant yields a miniscule amount of the cannabinoid.  But, there’s an alternative.  One can just isolate the CBD cannabinoid in the plant, which is far more abundant in nature, and rearrange its molecules to convert it into delta 8 THC.

What this means is that you can take any cannabinoid in cannabis and rearrange it to produce a different cannabinoid.  And, as it turns out, virtually all hemp products on the market other than CBD products are produced through isomerization.  That’s how we have such a vast array of cannabinoids to choose from in potent product forms, despite how they exist in such trace amounts.  Basically, through isomerization, we can explore the hemp plant’s many unique cannabinoids in a cost-efficient and time-efficient way.

Cannabinoid Isomers: Why Some States are Banning Them

Presently, 18 states have banned isomers.  Still, many companies selling delta-type products, THC-type products, or HHC-type products, are doing so online where states do not have clear regulatory oversight.  However, states are moving forward it seems to crack down on this, making it difficult to proceed selling in those already banned states.  Even though manufacturers/distributors of these products interpret the 2018 Farm Bill as permitting these isomers, due to being chemically created and not extracted from raw hemp plant material is where things get interesting.

For instance, the legality of these isomers as an edible seems to depend on which state you reside in, coupled with varying interpretation of the regulations.  States are taking notice; several states have issued tight bans on these products, while other states are still permitting production and distribution, but mainly business to business (B2B) only.

Isomerization: One of the Most Valuable Aspects of the Hemp Industry 

Isomerization is the key to today’s hemp industry, and allows us, among other things, to enjoy a wide variety of psychoactive hemp derivatives that would otherwise be nearly impossible.  And, it’s all because of CBG, the cannabinoid that acts as the common thread between these compounds.  Because of isomerization, companies can sell affordable products that feature trace cannabinoids, which otherwise would require a massive volume of plant material to isolate a meaningful amount of.  

So, if you’ve ever used a hemp cannabinoid other than CBD, know that you’re benefiting from isomerization, which has changed the cannabis landscape forever.  Binoid also carries a wide range of cannabinoids you can try, each with something unique to offer.

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