C Qual - It is my understanding that THCV does not get you high at all. Sam Skunkman has a few posts on this.
In conclusion, we have obtained evidence from competitive binding and GTPγS-binding experiments with mouse brain and CHO-hCB2 cell membranes that THCV is a competitive cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonist. In line with this hypothesis, THCV antagonized THC in the mouse isolated vas deferens, in a manner that suggested that it was competing with THC for CB1 receptors.
GW Pharmaceuticals has bred a plant strain rich in THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) that it hopes will provide a natural antagonist drug that doesn't have the liabilities of Sanofi's synthetic. GW is the British pharmaceutical company that in 2005 won conditional approval in Canada to sell a plant extract called Sativex as a treatment for pain caused by multiple sclerosis.
Anecdotal evidence from seed collectors suggested that strains high in THCV had notably "clearer" and "faster" effects than high-THC strains, and GW decided to sponsor a pharmacological study by Roger Pertwee, MD, of the University of Aberdeen. Pertwee determined that THCV strongly Antagonizes anandamide -one of the body's own cannabinoids- while hardly antagonizing the plant cannabinoid THC! "The discovery that THCV was a neutral antagonist at the CB1 and then the CB2 receptor was a complete surprise," according to GW chairman Geoffrey Guy, MD. "It is therefore unlikely to be psychoactive at all in humans.
Even more intriguing was the fact that THCV antagonizes THC far less than endogenous (anandamide) or synthetic cannabinoids."
Apparently the cannabis plant contains and makes available to the body a choice of drugs and the body uses those it needs to achieve a balanced state (homeostasis). 3If the body is producing endocannabinoids in excess, it can use the plant cannabinoid THCV to achieve homeostasis,2 Guy observes. 3If the endocannabinoid system needs a boost, the THC provides it (while the THCV shuts down the endocannabinoid system, giving it a rest as it were). The key to relief, apparently, is not high cannabinoid levels but proper gradients.2
GW has developed a strain with a cannabinoid content of 85% THCV and 15% THC. (It may not be possible to have a plant that expresses 100% of its cannabinoid content as THCV.) Guy says, "the possibility exists (yet to be demonstrated) that the extract might inhibit the endogenous cannabinoids whilst maintaining basic cannabinoid tone through the effects of THC (albeit less potently than when unopposed by THCV). More pharmacology is underway and we hope to take this extract into man this year."
GW's goal is a preparation that curbs hunger but does not drive tumor formation, exacerbate MS cases, lower seizure thresholds or produce anxiety and depression. "You want a drug that takes the edge off, not one that hits you like a ton of bricks," says a GW researcher who hopes that Sanofi's campaign to educate doctors and the public about metabolic syndrome will create a market for his company's kinder, gentler cannabioid-antagonist drug.
We both agree that the term "high" is used subjectively. Do we disagree that THCV is a psychoactive compound? By definition, it does alter the chemical and thusly physical processes of the brain....so it is psychoactive.
This is where the confusion lies. If you meant pure THCV you are 100% wrong.the idea that THCV wont get you high is subjective
C Qual - It is my understanding that THCV does not get you high at all. Sam Skunkman has a few posts on this.