Cannabichromene, C21H30O2, a minor cannabinoid of the cannabis plant. The plant makes it as cannabichromenic acid, CBCA, from the same starting compound, CBGA, that it turns into THCA and CBDA. Heat and drying turn CBCA into CBC.

How much CBC is in cannabis?

Usually little. A 2019 study cites tests of seized cannabis in the US, UK and Australia that found 0.05% to 0.3% CBC by weight. A 2021 review notes that a plant's CBC level does not depend on the gene that decides whether it leans to THC or CBD.

What does CBC mean on a medical report?

A complete blood count: a group of blood tests that measure the number and size of the different cells in your blood. It has nothing to do with cannabichromene.

Is CBC hemp under federal law?

Hemp is defined by its THC, not its CBC. From Dec. 11, 2026, the amended federal definition counts total THC, THCA included, at 0.3% of dry weight. It also excludes cannabinoids synthesized or manufactured outside the plant. This is not legal advice.

CBC (cannabichromene): the cannabinoid that grows from the same root as CBD

As of Oct. 14, 2026: CBC is cannabichromene, a minor cannabinoid of the cannabis plant. Like CBD, it is made from CBGA, and studies describe it as non-intoxicating. The FDA has approved no CBC product. In a blood-test report, CBC means something else: a complete blood count.

By The glossary desk. Published Oct 14, 2026

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CBC /ˌsiːˌbiːˈsiː/ abbr. Cannabichromene /ˌkænəbɪˈkroʊmiːn/, said can-uh-bih-KROH-meen. A minor cannabinoid of the cannabis plant, made from the same starting compound as CBD. Studies describe it as non-intoxicating, and as of Oct. 14, 2026 the FDA has approved no product that contains it as a drug.

(chemistry) The compound C21H30O2, molar mass 314.5 g/mol (PubChem CID 30219). In the plant it is made as cannabichromenic acid, CBCA, C22H30O4, 358.5 g/mol (PubChem CID 3084339).
(lab reports) A line on a certificate of analysis, usually next to CBCA.
(commerce) Short for products sold for their cannabichromene content.
(medicine, unrelated) A complete blood count, “a group of blood tests that measure the number and size of the different cells in your blood” (MedlinePlus). On a blood-test report, this is the meaning.

Origin Cannabi(s) + chromene, the ring system in its structure: its chemical name is 2-methyl-2-(4-methylpent-3-enyl)-7-pentylchromen-5-ol (PubChem). It was identified in 1966 (Udoh and others, 2019).

See also CBG · cannabidiol · CBDA · CBDV · CBN · hemp

Checked against the sources below on Oct. 14, 2026.

Notes

How does the plant make CBC?

From CBGA, the same acid it uses for THCA and CBDA (see CBG). An enzyme, CBCA synthase, turns cannabigerolic acid into cannabichromenic acid. Japanese researchers purified that enzyme in 1998 and showed CBCA “is predominantly formed from cannabigerolic acid” (Morimoto and others, 1998). Then, as a 2024 review puts it, “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).

Acid in the plant	Enzyme	Neutral form after heat
CBGA	THCA synthase → THCA	THC
CBGA	CBDA synthase → CBDA	CBD
CBGA	CBCA synthase → CBCA	CBC

Does CBC get you high?

The studies say no. A 2019 cell study found that “CBC activated CB2 but not CB1 receptors” (Udoh and others, 2019). CB1 is the receptor behind THC’s high. The 2024 review calls the lack of CB1 activity “consistent with the observation that CBC is non-psychoactive” (Sepulveda and others, 2024).

How much CBC is in a plant?

Usually little. The 2019 study cites tests of seized cannabis in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia that found CBC “concentrations ranging between 0.05 and 0.3% w/w” (Udoh and others, 2019). A 2021 review notes that “CBC is independent of the allelic chemotype locus B”, the gene that decides whether a plant leans to THC or to CBD (Zagožen and others, 2021).

How is CBC shown on a lab report?

As two lines, CBC and CBCA. Some labs add a total: CBC + 0.877 × CBCA. The factor is the ratio of the two molar masses (314.5 ÷ 358.5), the same 0.877 used for CBD and THC, because CBCA is CBC plus one carboxyl group.

What is known about what CBC does?

Little in people. The 2024 review points out that “Currently, there is a marked absence in the literature on the enzymatic metabolism of CBC”, and that CBC products are sold “with little or no evidence of their safety or efficacy” (Sepulveda and others, 2024). The FDA says it has approved one cannabis-derived and three cannabis-related drug products, Epidiolex, Marinol, Syndros and Cesamet; none is a CBC product (FDA). This glossary makes no claim for CBC.

What does federal law say?

Hemp is defined by its THC, not its CBC. The amended federal definition counts “total tetrahydrocannabinols concentration (including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid)” at 0.3% of dry weight and leaves out cannabinoids “synthesized or manufactured outside the plant” (7 U.S.C. 1639o). For naturally made cannabinoids, that change applies from Dec. 11, 2026 (H.R. 6500, sec. 2019). State law varies; check yours. This is not legal advice.

The shop on this site

The shop does not sell CBC products. Our menu today is high-THCA hemp flower, not CBD flower. Smoked, it gets you high and shows up on THC drug tests. See the shop.

Sources

National Library of Medicine. PubChem: Cannabichromene, CID 30219; Cannabichromenic acid, CID 3084339.
Morimoto S, Komatsu K, Taura F, Shoyama Y. “Purification and characterization of cannabichromenic acid synthase from Cannabis sativa.” Phytochemistry 49 (1998): 1525–1529. PubMed 9862135
Udoh M, Santiago M, Devenish S, McGregor IS, Connor M. “Cannabichromene is a cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist.” Br. J. Pharmacol. 176 (2019): 4537–4547. PMC6932936
Sepulveda DE and others. “The Potential of Cannabichromene (CBC) as a Therapeutic Agent.” J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 391 (2024): 206–213. PMC11493452
Zagožen M, Čerenak A, Kreft S. “Cannabigerol and cannabichromene in Cannabis sativa L.” Acta Pharm. 71 (2021): 355–364. PubMed 36654096
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD).
MedlinePlus. Complete Blood Count (CBC).
7 U.S.C. 1639o (Cornell LII); H.R. 6500, enrolled, sec. 2019 (govinfo).

Questions

What is CBC?: Cannabichromene, C21H30O2, a minor cannabinoid of the cannabis plant. The plant makes it as cannabichromenic acid, CBCA, from the same starting compound, CBGA, that it turns into THCA and CBDA. Heat and drying turn CBCA into CBC.
Does CBC get you high?: Studies describe it as non-psychoactive. A 2019 study found that CBC activates the CB2 receptor but not CB1, the receptor behind THC's high, and a 2024 review calls it non-euphorigenic. The FDA has not approved any CBC product.
How is CBC shown on a lab report?: As two lines, CBC and CBCA, and sometimes a total: CBC + 0.877 x CBCA. The factor is the ratio of the two molar masses, 314.5 and 358.5 g/mol.
How much CBC is in cannabis?: Usually little. A 2019 study cites tests of seized cannabis in the US, UK and Australia that found 0.05% to 0.3% CBC by weight. A 2021 review notes that a plant's CBC level does not depend on the gene that decides whether it leans to THC or CBD.
What does CBC mean on a medical report?: A complete blood count: a group of blood tests that measure the number and size of the different cells in your blood. It has nothing to do with cannabichromene.
Is CBC hemp under federal law?: Hemp is defined by its THC, not its CBC. From Dec. 11, 2026, the amended federal definition counts total THC, THCA included, at 0.3% of dry weight. It also excludes cannabinoids synthesized or manufactured outside the plant. This is not legal advice.

A note on our shop: it sells high-THCA hemp flower, not CBD flower.