{"id":2497,"date":"2020-11-25T20:03:47","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T20:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weedmaps.com\/learn\/?p=2497"},"modified":"2026-04-17T23:10:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T23:10:51","slug":"who-discovered-thc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weedmaps.com\/learn\/cannabis-and-its-evolution\/who-discovered-thc","title":{"rendered":"A brief history of THC"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

If cannabis was a band, it would be fair to call THC the lead vocalist. Between countless pop culture references and its mind-altering psychoactive properties, it's no wonder that THC is familiar to many. But who discovered THC and how did we come to know so much about its role in cannabis' anti-inflammatory, analgesic, neuroprotective, antioxidant<\/a>, and muscle relaxant properties? A dive into THC's history offers fascinating insights into our current understanding of the cannabinoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tWho discovered THC?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The official discovery of THC is commonly attributed to Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, affectionately referred to as the godfather of cannabis science. \u201cTHC was discovered in 1964 by Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his colleagues at Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science,\u201d explains Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter<\/a> and author of the forthcoming book The Lotus and the Bud<\/a>. Mechoulam had already singled out cannabis as a plant of interest and had isolated cannabidiol, or CBD, the previous year. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Clear\n\t\t\t<\/a>Photo by: Gina Coleman\/Weedmaps<\/cite>
While Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his team were responsible for isolating and describing THC's structure, chemist Roger Adams was the first to identify THC and explore its relationship to CBD.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t