---
title: "Newly Discovered Weed Compound Is 30 Times More Potent Than THC"
description: "Researchers from Italy claim to have discovered two new cannabinoids, including one they say is 30 times more potent than THC."
date: "2020-01-08"
modified: "2020-01-08"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/new-cannabinoids-30-times-more-potent-thc"
categories:
  - "Chemistry"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "cannabinoids"
  - "health"
---

# Newly Discovered Weed Compound Is 30 Times More Potent Than THC

![Researchers from Italy claim to have discovered two new cannabinoids, including one they say is 30 times more potent than THC.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/new-cannabinoids-30-times-more-potent-thc.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Image via NeedPix/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

As any weed connoisseur can tell you, all cannabis is not created equal. The plant contains chemical compounds called cannabinoids, and many believe that their differing levels in a particular cannabis strain or harvest can impact its effects on a user.

Researchers have identified more than 60 cannabinoids, but only one of those — tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — was believed to produce the "high" associated with marijuana use.

But now, researchers from Italy claim to have [discovered](<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akwd85/scientists-discover-two-new-cannabinoids>) two new cannabinoids, including one they say is 30 times more potent than THC.

According to the team's [study](<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-56785-1>), which was recently published in the journal *Scientific Reports*, the new cannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP) and cannabidiphorol (CBDP), which they discovered using a combination of liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry.

In tests on mice, they found that a dose of THCP was as active as a larger dose of THC, leading to the claim of its elevated potency. But as [pointed out by ](<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/akwd85/scientists-discover-two-new-cannabinoids>)*Vice,* what this means in terms of the newly discovered cannabinoid's psychotropic effects — if it even has any — isn't entirely clear.

What is clear, though, is that the more scientists research cannabis, the more they're discovering about the plant. That, in turn, is helping them suss out new [therapeutic uses](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/thc-therapeutic-benefits>) for marijuana — and now that the scientific community knows about the existence of THCP and CBDP, it can start to look for ways to take advantage of them as well.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)