CBC (cannabichromene): molecule, levels and legal status
CBC, or cannabichromene, is a hemp cannabinoid isolated in 1966. It does not make you "high": studies find that it does not activate the CB1 receptor, which is responsible for the effect of THC. The plant produces little of it, about 0.03% CBC in a hemp tested in Canada in 2020, compared with 0.58% CBD. France does not control it as a narcotic, and it follows the CBD rules: no more than 0.30% Δ⁹-THC in the finished product.
Key takeaways
- CBC derives from CBGA, the same precursor as CBD and THC, by way of its own enzyme, CBCA synthase.
- In a hemp tested in 2020, CBC plus its acid form came to about 4% of total CBD.
- CBC alone has not yet been the subject of any clinical trial; the human data concern an extract in which CBD dominates.
- Unlike the semi-synthetic HHC, H4CBD and THCP, CBC is not a narcotic.
- CBC is not a medicine, and no health claim about it is authorised.
Definition: a minor cannabinoid, known since 1966
Two teams working independently described cannabichromene in 1966. In Chemical Communications, Yehiel Gaoni and Raphael Mechoulam presented it as a new active principle of hashish. The German team of Claussen, von Spulak and Korte published it in Tetrahedron the same year.
The label "minor" describes how little of it the plant makes and says nothing about its chemistry. According to a review published in 2024 in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, most cannabis varieties produce only small amounts. Several studies summarised there find that CBC does not activate the CB1 receptor, consistent with its lack of psychoactive effect.
| Cannabinoid | Acid form in the plant | Enzyme that makes it | Psychoactive | Status in France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBC | CBCA | CBCA synthase | No | Allowed if Δ⁹-THC ≤ 0.30% |
| CBD | CBDA | CBDA synthase | No | Allowed if Δ⁹-THC ≤ 0.30% |
| CBG | CBGA | Geranyltransferase | No | Allowed if Δ⁹-THC ≤ 0.30% |
| THC | THCA | THCA synthase | Yes | Narcotic, tolerated below 0.30% in authorised hemp |
Biosynthesis: a branch of CBGA
The starting point is CBGA, cannabigerolic acid, described as the mother molecule in our article on CBG. Three enzymes compete for this substrate, THCA synthase, CBDA synthase and CBCA synthase, and each converts it into a different acid: THCA, CBDA or CBCA. Which one prevails depends on the genetics of the variety. CBDA synthase dominates in a CBD hemp, which keeps the CBCA branch small.
Heat and drying remove a carboxyl group from CBCA, which becomes CBC, by the same reaction that converts CBDA into CBD. CBC and CBD have the same molecular formula and differ only in how their atoms are arranged.
How much CBC is in hemp
Published data bear out this order of magnitude. In 2020 the National Research Council of Canada validated a method for measuring 17 cannabinoids and used it on five lots of milled hemp. The lots averaged 0.289 mg of CBC and 0.520 mg of CBCA per gram, compared with 5.81 mg of CBD and 15.60 mg of CBDA.
The total is calculated as for CBD, with a correction for the acid form: total CBC = CBC + 0.877 × CBCA. For these lots the result is about 0.07% total CBC against 1.95% total CBD, so CBC amounts to roughly 4% of the CBD.
One practical point: when checked on 23 September 2026, the Phytogrammes product pages listed six cannabinoids (CBD, CBDA, CBG, CBN, THC, THCA), and CBC was not among them. A product sold for its CBC content should show that content, measured on the lot. Our guide to reading a certificate of analysis shows where to find it.
What research has measured, and its limits
Cell and animal studies supply most of the data on CBC. The 2024 review lists them:
- at receptor level, CBC activates the TRPA1 channel more strongly than any other cannabinoid tested, and it also activates TRPV1 and the CB2 receptor;
- in animals, mostly mice and rats, effects have been seen in pain, inflammation and seizure tests, through mechanisms that are still debated;
- in culture, activity has been measured against certain Gram-positive bacteria.
No human trial has studied CBC on its own. The only pharmacokinetic data, which describe what happens to the molecule in the body, come from an extract found on testing to hold more CBC than THC. That oil contained 20 mg/ml of CBD, 1.1 mg/ml of CBC and 0.9 mg/ml of THC. At the highest daily doses, participants took 26.4 mg of CBC alongside 480 mg of CBD and 21.6 mg of THC. CBC could still be measured in the blood, and the dose was tolerated within that mixture.
The review's authors point out that CBC products are on free sale although almost no data support their safety or efficacy. CBC is not a medicine. Epidyolex, the only authorised medicine based on cannabidiol, contains purified CBD.
Legal status of CBC in France
CBC does not appear on the list of narcotics and comes under the hemp framework. The order of 30 December 2021 allows Cannabis sativa L. varieties listed in the official catalogues whose Δ⁹-THC content does not exceed 0.30%, and applies that threshold to extracts and products containing them. The ban on selling raw flowers and leaves was struck down by the Conseil d'État decision of 29 December 2022.
Semi-synthetic cannabinoids are a different case. The ANSM classified HHC, HHCO and HHCP as narcotics from 13 June 2023, and then H4CBD, THCP and other derivatives from 3 June 2024. Those molecules are produced by chemical conversion, whereas CBC occurs naturally in the plant. Our article on the H4CBD ban traces that decision.
A CBC extract meant to be swallowed comes under the novel food regime, as CBD extracts do, and Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 permits only authorised novel foods on the market. The French situation is described in our overview of CBD regulation in 2026.
On the precautionary side, ANSES proposed on 21 March 2025 classifying CBD as presumed toxic to reproduction. The proposal covers CBD only; no comparable data exist for CBC. In their absence, the same precautions apply during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as explained in our article on the classification proposed by ANSES.
Where CBC is found
CBC is rarely sold isolated. It is mostly found as a minor component of flowers and of full-spectrum oils, which retain the plant's full range of cannabinoids. The idea that such minor components alter the effect of CBD is called the entourage effect; in humans it remains a hypothesis with no established result.
Frequently asked questions
Not in the legal sense. France does not classify it as a narcotic, and it is sold on the same terms as CBD, with no more than 0.30% Δ⁹-THC. No psychoactive effect is known.
No. Several studies find that it does not activate the CB1 receptor, through which THC produces its effect. The risk comes from what the product actually contains, such as excess THC or an added semi-synthetic cannabinoid.
Both derive from CBGA and have the same molecular formula, yet each is made by its own enzyme and their structures differ. In laboratory models, CBC acts mainly on the TRPA1 and TRPV1 channels and on the CB2 receptor. Hemp contains far more CBD.
Rarely. In the hemp tested in 2020, total CBC came to about 4% of total CBD. If a product claims a high CBC content, look for it on the lot's analysis; the product name proves nothing.
No. CBC is a natural, uncontrolled component of hemp, whereas HHC is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid that France has classified as a narcotic since 13 June 2023.
Written by the Phytogrammes team
Each journal article draws on cited primary sources: ANSM, EFSA, EUR-Lex and peer-reviewed publications. Product profiles are distinguished from documented laboratory results. Our approach.
Article published on . CBD is not a medicine.