Glossary
THCP (tetrahydrocannabiphorol)
Updated:
Tetrahydrocannabiphorol, or THCP, is a THC analog with a 7-carbon side chain instead of the 5 carbons in delta-9 THC. Italian researchers first isolated it from cannabis in 2019 and reported much stronger CB1 binding than THC. It occurs in trace amounts, so commercial THCP is made by synthesis.
THCP was isolated from a cannabis sample and described in a 2019 Scientific Reports paper. Its structure matches delta-9 THC except for the alkyl side chain, which runs 7 carbons long instead of 5 (Citti 2019). Side chain length drives how tightly a cannabinoid binds the CB1 receptor, and the authors reported THCP binding CB1 far more strongly than THC in vitro, along with THC-like effects in mice at lower doses.
The plant produces THCP only in trace quantities. Products sold as THCP are made by synthesis from other cannabinoids, which places them among the cannabinoids synthesized or manufactured outside the plant that the amended federal hemp definition excludes (7 U.S.C. 1639o). The exclusion for cannabinoids the plant cannot naturally produce takes effect November 12, 2026, and the broader exclusion follows on December 11, 2026.
THCP is a tetrahydrocannabinol and counts toward total THC. UPS prohibits shipment of any synthetic or lab-made cannabinoid compound (UPS). Human safety data for THCP products do not exist in the published literature.
Sources
- A novel phytocannabinoid isolated from Cannabis sativa L. with an in vivo cannabimimetic activity higher than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol (Sci Rep, 2019) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)
- 7 U.S.C. 1639o, Definitions (hemp) Cornell Legal Information Institute (accessed 2026-10-13)
- Shipping Hemp and Hemp-Derivatives UPS (accessed 2026-10-13)