alternative cannabinoid

From being an alternative to delta-9-THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid principally found in cannabis and widely prohibited.

alternative cannabinoid (plural alternative cannabinoids)

1. (chiefly US) Any psychoactive cannabinoid that is synthetically or semisynthetically derived from delta-9-THC and is not naturally present in cannabis except in negligible amounts.

   Synonyms: altnoid, noid, alt-cannabinoid, hemp-derived cannabinoid, derived psychoactive cannabis product, DPCP.

• Used chiefly of derivatives (mostly isomers or homologs) of THC that are not widely prohibited, such as those that were inadvertently legalized in the U.S.A. via a loophole in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (e.g., delta-8-THC, delta-10-THC, HHC, and THCP).

• THCA is sometimes included, but this is controversial due to it naturally occurring in cannabis in substantial amounts; as well as not being psychoactive (without being decarboxylated into THC).

• Not to be confused with neocannabinoids (confusingly also called synthetic cannabinoids, or K2 or spice in slang), such as dronabinol or nabilone.