Acids like CBDA are inactive and act as a stepping stone to the active form of a cannabinoid.
CBDA is not the earliest cannabinoid in the hemp biosynthetic pathway. First, CBGA is produced by olivetolic acid, a non-cannabinoid product of the cannabis plant. The enzyme CBDA can convert CBGA to CBDA.
From there, the oxygen-rich CBDA is converted to CBD with heat or UV exposure. This conversion is a natural step in the life cycle of the plant. Left to its own devices, CBDA will decarboxylate and become CBD, with or without extreme elemental conditions. Of course, they speed up the process.
Due to the instability of cannabinoids, CBDA products are much more difficult to manufacture than CBD-rich products. Commercial CBDA is rare and mostly available from high-end hemp sellers. Authentic CBDA products don’t usually come cheap either. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s much easier to access affordable CBD. Just stay away from low quality, untested products and you’re golden.
Standard distillates and weed oils require heat to produce, which means producing CBDA concentrates requires special techniques. CBDA also cannot be vaporized without or cooked into edibles without being transformed into CBD.
If you can find and ingest raw CBDA, its benefits are likely to be similar to CBD anyway.
