How is Hemp Different Than Marijuana?
How is Hemp Different Than Marijuana?
It might be difficult for many CBD consumers to tell the difference between hemp and marijuana. Hemp blossom and marijuana can have the same appearance and odour. So, what's the difference between hemp and marijuana, and what does it mean for those trying to buy CBD or hemp products on the internet?
Cannabis vs. Hemp
Although both marijuana and hemp are cannabis plants that may be smoked, infused, or rolled (or marketed as pre-rolls), the quantity of THC in each differs significantly. Hemp has less than 0.3 percent THC, but marijuana has more than 0.3 percent THC– up to 30 percent in some cases. THC is responsible for the psychoactive "high" associated with cannabis. Because of the differences in their THC levels, hemp and marijuana have separate regulations and legal classifications. In a nutshell, whereas marijuana may get you high, CBD and CBG hemp flower can't. Don't be fooled by this; hemp, including CBD and CBG, has a wide range of applications and advantages.
While both hemp and marijuana include CBD, CBD lotions, CBD tinctures, and CBD prerolls are made with CBD extracted from hemp flowers. Hemp has a greater CBD concentration than marijuana, with most hemp flowers containing 12-18 percent CBD compared to less than 1% CBD in marijuana.
Hemp and its uses: CBD
Hemp and its many components, including hemp flowers, hemp seeds, and hemp roots, have a wide range of applications and are relatively straightforward to produce and harvest. Textiles made from hemp fibres include clothes, ropes, and canvas. You may have even spotted hemp-based foods in the supermarket, such as hemp hearts or hemp flour! Hemp is simple to cultivate outdoors, unlike marijuana, which is more commonly produced indoors and in a carefully regulated environment, and the plants may still survive when planted in close proximity to one other.
Legality of hemp vs. marijuana
Another distinction between hemp and marijuana is the legal system. Hemp and hemp-derived products with less than 0.3 percent THC, such as CBD, are lawful in all fifty states, although marijuana remains illegal at the federal level.
Both hemp and marijuana were deemed illegal in the United States with the 1937 Marihuana Act. The 2014 Farm Bill, on the other hand, drew a distinction between marijuana and hemp based on THC levels and permitted industrial hemp to be grown. However, extracting CBD from hemp flowers was still unlawful at the time, despite the fact that numerous authorities disagreed on the intricacies of the legislation. In all fifty states, the 2018 Farm Bill made hemp farming and CBD-infused goods lawful. Marijuana, on the other hand, is still illegal at the federal level, and state regulations on medical and recreational marijuana differ.
So Why Does Hemp’s Classification Matter?
Both hemp and the intoxicating smokable marijuana buds derive from the cannabis plant, but because to the differences in their components, each variety has different psychotropic effects and laws. Hemp flower, with its low THC level, may be used to extract cannabinoids like CBG and CBD for use in infused goods; without hemp legalisation, the CBD and CBG industries would be very different today.
