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Review
. 2020 Jun 3;8(2):41.
doi: 10.3390/toxics8020041.

Conversion of Cannabidiol (CBD) into Psychotropic Cannabinoids Including Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): A Controversy in the Scientific Literature

Patricia Golombek  1 , Marco Müller  1 , Ines Barthlott  1 , Constanze Sproll  1 , Dirk W Lachenmeier  1
Affiliations
Review

Conversion of Cannabidiol (CBD) into Psychotropic Cannabinoids Including Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): A Controversy in the Scientific Literature

Patricia Golombek et al. Toxics. .

Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring, non-psychotropic cannabinoid of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa L. and has been known to induce several physiological and pharmacological effects. While CBD is approved as a medicinal product subject to prescription, it is also widely sold over the counter (OTC) in the form of food supplements, cosmetics and electronic cigarette liquids. However, regulatory difficulties arise from its origin being a narcotic plant or its status as an unapproved novel food ingredient. Regarding the consumer safety of these OTC products, the question whether or not CBD might be degraded into psychotropic cannabinoids, most prominently tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), under in vivo conditions initiated an ongoing scientific debate. This feature review aims to summarize the current knowledge of CBD degradation processes, specifically the results of in vitro and in vivo studies. Additionally, the literature on psychotropic effects of cannabinoids was carefully studied with a focus on the degradants and metabolites of CBD, but data were found to be sparse. While the literature is contradictory, most studies suggest that CBD is not converted to psychotropic THC under in vivo conditions. Nevertheless, it is certain that CBD degrades to psychotropic products in acidic environments. Hence, the storage stability of commercial formulations requires more attention in the future.

Keywords: Cannabis sativa; cannabidiol; degradation; psychotropic effects; tetrahydrocannabinol.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of (a) cannabinol (CBN) including the numbering system, (b) Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and (c) cannabidiol (CBD).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Google trends analysis for cannabidiol (CBD) (Data source: Google Trends [23]).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structures of (a) hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), (b) cannabigerol (CBG) and (c) cannabichromene (CBC).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Overview of various chemical conversions of cannabidiol (CBD) to different conversion products and the respective conditions, which are reported in the literature.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chemical structures of (a) cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and (b) Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (Δ9-THCA).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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