The molecule of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main mind-altering ingredient in the cannabis plant.THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the chemical responsible for most of the psychoactive effects of cannabis. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), it acts very similarly to the cannabinoid chemical that the body naturally produces
Cannabinoid receptors are concentrated in certain areas of the brain associated with thinking, memory, pleasure, coordination, and time perception. According to NIDA, THC binds to these receptors and activates them, affecting a person's memory, pleasure, movement, thinking, attention, coordination, sensation, and time perception.
THC is one of many compounds found in the resin secreted by the glands of the cannabis plant. There are more of these glands around the reproductive organs of the plant than in any other part of the plant. Other compounds unique to cannabis, called cannabinoids, are found in this resin. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the cannabinoid CBD is a non-psychotic substance that actually blocks the high levels associated with THC.