'Scromiting,' a bizarre condition linked to chronic marijuana use, is on the rise

[ProfessorGAC]

37. THC Can Be Lab Synthesized, But...

...the precursors & catalysts are not cheap and the reaction requires significant expertise to execute.
The process has been around at least 50 years.
An MS chemist I worked with early in my career actually did when in grade school in the early 70s.
But, it's cheaper just to extract it from high THC cannabis, so it's not a process being pursued commercially.
Just like things lije flavors & fragrances. I could make a perfect analogies to vanilla, including the non-vanillin components, but it's cheaper to just extract the flavor components from the beans.
Vanillin is pretty easy to make (and cheap) so "artificial" vanilla flavoring is common, but the missing phenolics, and acyl derivatives mean it doesn't taste exactly lije real vanilla. But, it's so much cheaper, people use it anyway.