CBD & Delta 8 vs. THCO, THCP, HHC & Delta 10: Ultimate Cannabinoid Showdown

Throughout recent weeks, we’ve looked at various new, rare cannabinoids and compared them to existing options on the market. As a refresher, the new hemp cannabinoids we’ve looked at have been delta 10 THC, THCO, THCP, and HHC, and we’ve mainly compared these newcomers to CBD and delta 8.

It’s now time to bring it all together with an overarching guide to how these cannabinoids compare. The main variables we’ll compare are intoxication, method of acquisition, regulation, and safety.

Non-intoxicating vs. intoxicating

Let’s start by comparing the factor people care most about: the way that each cannabinoid makes you feel when you use it.

Out of the cannabinoids we’re comparing, the only one that’s strictly non-intoxicating is CBD. Just to be thorough, the list of (at least somewhat) intoxicating cannabinoids is:

• Delta 8 THC
• Delta 10 THC
• THCO
• THCP
• HHC

If you want to use cannabinoids but avoid intoxication, CBD is the only way to go. All the other cannabinoids we’re comparing provide roughly the same sorts of intoxicating effects in various different ways and at varying levels of intensity and safety.

Natural vs. synthetic

Out of the cannabinoids we’re comparing, the substances with at least the potential to be natural are:

• CBD
• Delta 8 THC
• THCP

And, the cannabinoids that are always strictly synthetic are:

• Delta 10 THC
• THCO
• HHC

There are a couple of caveats, though:

• Even though it's inherently a natural cannabinoid, any genuine forms of THCP currently on the market would have to be synthetic.
• To our knowledge, we are the only breeders of delta 8 rich hemp, so we’ll be the first to know when natural delta 10 became available.

Your pick might be different, but it's our belief that the differences between natural and synthetic cannabinoids will become the single-most defining conflict of the global cannabis industry’s future. Let’s just make our position very clear: While acceptable in certain situations, synthetic cannabinoids are inherently inferior to natural cannabinoids.

As a society, we should work together to bring out the best parts of the natural cannabis plant, not slice and dice it on the altar of greed. Taking natural substances and synthesizing them into mass-producible drugs is the default playbook of Big Pharma, but the existence of illicit synthetic cannabinoids makes it clear this approach isn’t without significant dangers.

When synthesized or otherwise altered, cannabinoids can take on new, dangerous properties that in some cases cause serious harm. In natural forms, cannabinoids are at least reasonably safe, but they can become profoundly unsafe with just a little bit of Frankenstein tweaking in a lab.

Illegal vs. legal

In this industry, you learn to leave absolutes like “legal” and “illegal” to the proper authorities. We can still contrast and compare, though, the relative legality of different cannabinoids. Let’s separate it into three groups: (1) hemp, (2) gray area, and (3) illegal drugs.

1. HEMP: The only strictly hemp cannabinoids are those naturally derived from Cannabis sativa and accompanied by less than 0.3% delta 9 THC. As the sole cannabinoids to meet these qualifiers, only CBD and delta 8 have the potential to be called “hemp” right now.
2. GRAY AREA: THCO, HHC, and THCP are in a legal and regulatory gray area due to their strictly synthetic status. Even delta 10 can only be derived synthetically right now, placing it in the same boat.
3. ILLEGAL DRUGS: The only cannabinoid strictly considered an illegal drug as per the CSA is delta 9 THC. Since that isn’t one of the cannabinoids we’re discussing, none of the cannabinoids in our list can be considered on equal footing with delta 9 when it comes to illegality.

Regulated vs. unregulated

In an unregulated market, the differences between “illegal” and “legal” lose their relevance. So far, regulation of the so-called “hemp THC” economy has been so lax that HHC and CBD are essentially in the same ballpark even though they’re wildly different in terms of effects and safety. An illogical situation like this cannot persist forever, so expect some cannabinoids to become more illegal while others become more legal in coming days.

Safe vs. unsafe

This is absolutely the most important point we will cover in this guide. Despite suddenly being equally accessible, the cannabinoids we’ve listed are nowhere near equal in terms of safety. Science of the future may prove some of them to be practically harmless at the same time it damns others as being ruefully dangerous.

Let’s separate our cannabinoids along the lines of major discovered side effects:

Cannabinoids with no or very few major discovered side effects:

• CBD

Cannabinoids with potential significant side effects:

• Delta 8
• Delta 10
• THCP

Cannabinoids practically guaranteed to cause dangerous side effects:

• THCO
• HHC

Let’s discuss. We don’t think most of the cannabinoids in the THC family are particularly dangerous, but they have certain well-known side effects that are part and parcel with the experience.

When you start messing around with THC and make it synthetic, though, all hell breaks loose. The serious, life-destroying side effects of Spice and K2 are well known, and the dangerous chemical wreaking all that havoc is just a few bonds away from HHC.

Even THCP could be dangerous just due to its potency even though it’s not inherently synthetic. There’s simply so much we still don’t know about cannabinoids that an abundance of caution is the only prudent path forward. What we’re seeing instead is so-called hemp brands recklessly throwing synthetic chemicals at the wall of the internet economy and hoping they stick.

Researched vs. unknown

Before finishing up, let’s discuss one more critical factor that separates the cannabinoids we’ve been comparing. Only CBD and delta 8 have been the subject of any considerable amount of research, making all of the other cannabinoids practically unknown factors.

Cannabinoids that have been very thoroughly researched include:

• CBD

Cannabinoids that have been somewhat thoroughly researched include:

• Delta 8

Cannabinoids that have received practically zero useful scientific attention include:

• THCO
• THCP
• HHC
• Delta 10

Just because a cannabinoid has not been thoroughly researched does not necessarily mean it is dangerous or worth avoiding. It just means you’re stuck with a reduced level of confidence when considering the potential benefits of unresearched cannabinoids.

Dozens of studies have been conducted to determine the potential benefits of CBD over the last few decades. The cannabinoid has largely been found to be safe, and it has received a lot of attention for its potential ability to help with pain, anxiety, and epilepsy.

Comparatively, delta 8 has been researched far less than CBD, but it has still received more scientific attention than other cannabinoids compared in this guide. The National Cancer Institute, for instance, considers delta 8 to be enough of a known factor to declare it as definitively less potent than delta 9 THC.

As far as the other cannabinoids we’ve listed, some have been researched extensively but only because they are synthetic and originated as a result of research into altered forms of THC. Delta 10, though, has hardly been researched at all, and THCP was only discovered a few years ago.

Cannabinoid showdown FAQ

That’s a lot to take in. Let’s cool down with a calm and sedate FAQ session:

1. Is hemp the same as CBD?

No, hemp can contain lots of different cannabinoids, not just CBD. Some of the other cannabinoids hemp can contain are CBG, THCV, and delta 8 THC. As long as delta 9 THC is present in concentrations under 0.3%, products containing these cannabinoids are usually considered to be industrial hemp, which was separated from cannabis by the 2018 Farm Bill.

2. Are CBD and delta 8 the same?

No, CBD and delta 8 are very different since CBD is non-intoxicating while delta 8 causes intoxicating effects. Also, most delta 8 is synthetically derived while the majority of CBD is natural. Delta 8 is starting to be bred naturally, though, placing it in the same class as CBD in that one specific way.

3. What’s the difference between delta 8 and delta 9?

The chemical differences between delta 8 and delta 9 are very minor. These substances appear to operate via slightly different neurological pathways, but the experienced effects are largely the same. The major important difference between delta 8 and delta 9 is the way they’re regulated with delta 9 still being considered a Schedule I drug and delta 8 often being considered hemp.

4. What’s the difference between THC and THCO?

THCO, also known as THCO acetate, is a synthetic form of THC originally created by the Army Chemical Corps as a non-lethal incapacitating agent and tested on dogs. Unlike THC, THCO is not naturally found in cannabis, and it takes around an hour to activate while offering effects that are around three times as potent.

5. What’s the difference between THC and THCP?

THCP is a newly discovered cannabinoid believed to be around 30x as strong as THC. So far, it isn't naturally available in cannabis, but as an inherently natural cannabinoid, it’s only a matter of time until high-THCP strains are bred. Until that time, we’d suggest staying away from synthetic THCP, which could be the sketchiest of the lot.

6. What’s the difference between THC and HHC?

HHC was the first successfully synthesized form of THC, and it is both the basis of highly useful clinical endocannabinoid agonists and the source of the nefarious drugs Spice and K2. Consider HHC the Pandora’s Box of synthetic cannabinoids… is it too late for us to ask to shut it again?

7. Which is stronger: HHC or THCP?

Comparing the two, THCP would certainly win in a contest of pure strength over HHC simply because THCP is among the most potent cannabinoids every discovered. HHC, on the other hand, is usually considered to be slightly less potent than delta 9 THC, meaning that it’s even less potent in comparison to ultra-powerful THCP. If you’re looking for the cannabinoid with the strongest effects, THCP is certainly a better choice than HHC.

8. What is the difference between HHC and HHCO?

HHCO, also called HHC acetate, is considerably stronger than HHC since it has been acetlyzed. Though simple, this chemical process makes HHC even more synthetic than it was before, which could be a concern for some users. For others, though, the increased potency offered by HHCO might be worth it — especially in light of the fact that normal HHC is only around half as potent as normal THC.

9. Is HHCP the strongest?

It’s not clear right now, but HHCP might one day be heralded as one of the strongest — or even as the absolute strongest — cannabinoid. This rare, alternative form of HHC is practically unknown at the moment, but it has been altered to chemically resemble THCP, believed to be the most potent natural form of THC.

Most sources currently consider HHCP to be on par with, but not stronger than, THCP. So little is known about this cannabinoid, though, that the exact potency of HHCP is hard to establish.