cannabinoid: the family of compounds CBD belongs to

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cannabinoid /kəˈnæbɪnɔɪd/ n. Said kuh-NA-bih-noyd (NCI). One of a group of substances made by the cannabis plant. THC and CBD are the best known; as of Oct. 21, 2026, more than 100 others have been identified. The word also covers compounds the body makes and lab-made ones.

1. (botany, chemistry) A compound of the cannabis plant, also called a phytocannabinoid. The National Cancer Institute defines the group as “21-carbon–containing terpenophenolic compounds produced uniquely by Cannabis species” (NCI PDQ). Cannabidiol, CBDA, CBDV, CBG, CBN and CBC are all cannabinoids in this sense.
2. (physiology) An endocannabinoid: a compound the body makes that acts at the same receptors.
3. (pharmacology) A synthetic cannabinoid: a lab-made substance chemically similar to the plant’s, whether an approved drug or an illicit product.

Origin Cannabin-, from cannabis, + -oid, “like”: a substance like those of cannabis.

See also cannabidiol · CBDA · CBG · CBN · CBC · hemp · full spectrum

Checked against the sources below on Oct. 21, 2026.

Notes

What is a cannabinoid?

In the plain words of NCCIH, part of the National Institutes of Health: “Cannabinoids are a group of substances found in the cannabis plant” (NCCIH). The NCI’s patient dictionary calls a cannabinoid “a type of chemical in marijuana that causes drug-like effects all through the body, including the central nervous system and the immune system” (NCI). That second definition fits THC best; not every cannabinoid acts the same way (see below).

What are the main cannabinoids?

“The main cannabinoids are THC and cannabidiol (CBD)” (NCCIH). The NCI names others “with biological activity”: cannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabichromene, cannabigerol, tetrahydrocannabivarin and delta-8-THC (NCI PDQ).

Abbreviation	Full name	Entry
CBD	cannabidiol	cannabidiol
CBDA	cannabidiolic acid	CBDA
CBDV	cannabidivarin	CBDV
CBG	cannabigerol	CBG
CBN	cannabinol	CBN
CBC	cannabichromene	CBC
THC	delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol	on the glossary index

In the plant most of them start as acids. A 2024 review sums it up: “Decarboxylation, via heat and drying, then converts the acidic forms (THCA, CBDA, CBCA, and CBGA) into their neutral forms (THC, CBD, CBC, and CBG)” (Sepulveda and others, 2024).

How many cannabinoids are there?

“Besides THC and CBD, more than 100 other cannabinoids have been identified” (NCCIH). Most occur in small amounts. A lab report for a flower usually lists only a handful of them.

What are endocannabinoids?

Cannabinoids the body makes itself. The first cannabinoid receptor, CB1, “was identified in the brain in 1988”, and a second, CB2, in 1993. “Endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) have been identified” that act at these receptors (NCI PDQ). Anandamide is one; the same NCI summary calls it “the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide”. Together, the receptors and the body’s own cannabinoids are called the endocannabinoid system.

What are synthetic cannabinoids?

NIDA defines them as “a class of lab-made substances that are chemically similar to chemicals found in the cannabis plant, though they often produce very different effects”. Some are medicines; many are “illicitly manufactured and sold”, sometimes as “K2” or “Spice”, and NIDA says illicit use “is associated with severe health problems and can be life-threatening” (NIDA).

The FDA has approved one cannabis-derived and three cannabis-related drug products (FDA):

Product	Cannabinoid	Kind
Epidiolex	cannabidiol (CBD), purified	Plant-derived
Marinol, Syndros	dronabinol, “synthetic THC”	Synthetic
Cesamet	nabilone, “a synthetic substance similar to THC”	Synthetic

The quoted descriptions are NCCIH’s (NCCIH). This glossary makes no other health claim for any cannabinoid.

Do all cannabinoids get you high?

No. The NCI calls delta-9-THC “the primary psychoactive ingredient”, and describes CBD as being without “the psychoactive effect (high) of delta-9-THC” (NCI PDQ). Studies describe CBC as non-psychoactive too. “Cannabinoid” on a label therefore says little about how a product acts; the lab report lists which ones are in it and how much.

Does federal hemp law mention cannabinoids?

Yes. The amended federal definition of hemp covers the plant’s “cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers” but sets the limit by “total tetrahydrocannabinols concentration (including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)” at 0.3% of dry weight. It also leaves out products containing cannabinoids “not capable of being naturally produced” by the plant, and those that “were synthesized or manufactured outside the plant” (P.L. 119-37, sec. 781). The first exclusion applies from Nov. 12, 2026; the rest of the change, total THC included, from Dec. 11, 2026 (P.L. 119-103 (H.R. 6500), sec. 2019). The hemp entry has the full definition. State law varies; check yours. This is not legal advice.

The shop on this site

The shop sells no cannabinoid extracts. Our menu today is high-THCA hemp flower, not CBD flower. Smoked, it gets you high and shows up on THC drug tests. It comes in sizes from the ounce to the pound, for example GCC and Sour Diesel Mix, and each lot’s lab report, with its own cannabinoid lines, is emailed on request. See the shop.

Sources

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know.
• National Cancer Institute (NIH). NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: cannabinoid.
• National Cancer Institute (NIH). Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ®), Health Professional Version, updated May 13, 2025.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH). Synthetic Cannabinoids.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD).
• Sepulveda DE and others. “The Potential of Cannabichromene (CBC) as a Therapeutic Agent.” J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 391 (2024): 206–213. PMC11493452
• P.L. 119-37, sec. 781 (govinfo); P.L. 119-103 (H.R. 6500), sec. 2019 (govinfo).

Questions

What is a cannabinoid?

One of a group of substances found in the cannabis plant, in NCCIH's words. CBD, THC, CBG, CBN and CBC are all cannabinoids. In wider use the word also covers compounds the body makes (endocannabinoids) and lab-made ones (synthetic cannabinoids).

What are the main cannabinoids?

THC and cannabidiol (CBD), according to NCCIH. The National Cancer Institute lists cannabinol, cannabichromene, cannabigerol, tetrahydrocannabivarin and delta-8-THC among the others with known biological activity.

How many cannabinoids are there?

Besides THC and CBD, more than 100 other cannabinoids have been identified in the cannabis plant, according to NCCIH, part of the National Institutes of Health.

What are endocannabinoids?

Cannabinoids the body makes itself. They act at the same receptors as plant cannabinoids: CB1, identified in the brain in 1988, and CB2, identified in 1993. Anandamide is one.

What are synthetic cannabinoids?

Lab-made substances chemically similar to the plant's cannabinoids, in NIDA's words, often with very different effects. Dronabinol (synthetic THC) and nabilone are FDA-approved drugs; illicit ones sold as K2 or Spice are linked to severe health problems.

Do all cannabinoids get you high?

No. The National Cancer Institute calls THC the primary psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, and describes CBD as lacking the high of delta-9-THC. Studies also describe CBC as non-psychoactive.

Does federal hemp law mention cannabinoids?

Yes. Hemp's definition covers the plant's cannabinoids but counts total THC, THCA included, from Dec. 11, 2026. It excludes products with cannabinoids the plant cannot make (from Nov. 12, 2026) or that were synthesized outside the plant (from Dec. 11, 2026). This is not legal advice.