What is TAC on cannabis product labels?
If you have ever bought legal cannabis from a licensed seller, you may have come across the term TAC. TAC stands for Total Active Cannabinoids. Many people don’t know exactly what this abbreviation means or how it differs from THC. Below, we explain what TAC is and why you are likely to encounter it more often in the future.
What does TAC mean?
You may see the abbreviation TAC when purchasing legal cannabis products, usually on the product label. This only applies to cannabis bought in licensed dispensaries or cannabis clubs. TAC stands for Total Active Cannabinoids. It represents the percentage that gives insight into the total amount of cannabinoids. For example, if a product label states that it contains 35% TAC, that means the product contains 35%, or 350 mg per gram, of cannabinoids.
Sometimes, a label doesn’t just mention TAC, but also provides a detailed breakdown of which cannabinoids the product contains. Cannabis holds a wide variety of cannabinoids, such as THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, and THCV. This way, the label provides more information about the product you’re buying, helping you find the strain best suited to your needs.
What is the influence of THC on TAC?
These days, most of the focus is on THC, which means the TAC percentage is largely determined by it. But that doesn’t mean other cannabinoids in cannabis don’t also influence TAC. As mentioned earlier, cannabis contains a wide range of cannabinoids, and all of these are included in the TAC percentage.
It’s also worth noting that THC isn’t just one compound. Cannabis contains several forms of THC. The most common is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol. But there are also other types, such as Δ8-THC, which has slightly different effects and is considered more potent than Δ9. In addition, there is THCa (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), a cannabinoid that does not cause a high but is converted into THC after heating.
Some people confuse the term TAC with THC, expecting TAC to also be a cannabinoid. But TAC is not a component of cannabis; it reflects the total percentage of cannabinoids in a cannabis product. THC is one of those cannabinoids and is therefore part of that percentage. Reading a label with TAC information can provide valuable insights and help you choose a cannabis strain that suits your preferences.
Why is TAC important?
You may wonder why TAC matters on cannabis products. Why read the label on your cannabis at all? Many users are only interested in THC, but we now know that cannabis contains many more cannabinoids, all of which influence THC and its effects. This plant contains more than 500 chemical compounds, and research shows that these compounds can interact with and influence each other’s properties. This is known as the entourage effect.
Real-world experiences
Experience of an 88-year-old patient with anxiety and vertigo
A case study describes an 88-year-old woman suffering from persistent anxiety and vertigo. During supervised medical cannabis use, she reported significant improvement in her symptoms. When she stopped using cannabis, the symptoms returned; when she resumed, her quality of life improved again. This illustrates that cannabis can provide relief in individual cases (under medical supervision), although effects vary from person to person.
Source: Walkaden C. A case study for the use of medical cannabis in an 88-year-old female with anxiety and vertigo.Read the case.
Reducing medication in chronic pain
In the UK’s Project Twenty21, a patient with chronic pain was monitored after starting medical cannabis. The patient gained enough pain relief to significantly reduce, and eventually stop, pregabalin medication. The patient described this as “a second chance at life.” This shows how medical cannabis can sometimes help reduce reliance on conventional medication, provided it is carefully monitored and tailored to the patient.
Sources: Sunderland P. Medication-sparing after medical cannabis initiation: a case study of a chronic pain patient in Project Twenty21. (University of Bath, open access PDF) Read the case. Additional context on Project Twenty21: Drug Science summary.
Research also shows, for example in a 2016 study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, “Does Cannabidiol Protect Against Adverse Psychological Effects of THC?”, that CBD (cannabidiol) may dampen the effects of THC. THC interacts with CB1 receptors, and CBD appears to reduce THC’s ability to bind to those receptors. This can result in a less intense high. For this reason, strains with higher CBD percentages are becoming more popular, as they may provide a more balanced experience.
This is why TAC matters. If you’re looking for a specific strain or certain properties, TAC can help guide your choice. It offers detailed insight into the total cannabinoid content of a product. This is most useful when TAC also specifies which cannabinoids are present; otherwise, you only see the total percentage, which isn’t as informative. Hopefully, it will become more common to display this kind of information on labels, as it helps consumers make more informed choices when selecting cannabis products.
Where can you find TAC?
In the Netherlands, TAC is unfortunately not yet standard. You’ll mostly find TAC values on legal cannabis products sold in licensed shops in Canada and certain U.S. states. In Europe, and particularly in the Netherlands, its use hasn’t become widespread yet. However, in our shop you can clearly see what you are buying, with THC percentages listed in product descriptions, and for our CBD seeds, the CBD percentages as well.
DISCLAIMER: This blog is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Cannabis use can carry risks, especially with frequent or long-term consumption. Always consult a doctor for health-related concerns. Laws and regulations regarding cannabis use differ by country. We advise you to always check your local laws and never act in violation of them.
If you are interested in cannabis products, take a look at our shop.
This blog was written by: Mirjam Sprenger, copywriter for Taaldomein.
She focuses mainly on writing about health, nutrition, and supplements, prioritizing reliability and clarity of information.
