Hemp 101- The Basics
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In 1937, when the Marihuana Tax Act was passed, all things cannabis were made illegal under federal law, this included hemp. In 2018, our government finally released hemp from being a hostage. Hemp is no longer confined and tucked away; the government finally stopped their tomfoolery in this area, and passed the Hemp Farming Act of 2018:
“This bill legalizes industrial hemp that has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) concentration of no more than 0.3% by removing it from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. States and Indian tribes may regulate the production of hemp by submitting a plan to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The bill also makes hemp producers eligible for the federal crop insurance program and certain USDA research grants.”
The Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp
Many are confused by cannabis/ marijuana/ hemp. Simply put, hemp is cannabis and cannabis is hemp. It’s the same plant, the difference is- THC.
“Hemp and marijuana are, taxonomically speaking, the same plant; they are different names for the same genus (Cannabis) and species.”
Digging a little deeper; marijuana is created by selectively breeding the seeds for THC. Leafly states the following:
“Breeders typically breed to purify and strengthen strains, combine strain traits, or enhance specific characteristics like higher yields, specific aromas, potency, and many other things.”
So, the difference is within the intent of growing, as stated by Kush.com:
“Each of these unique goals require a specific species of cannabis bred for that goal. For example, almost all industrial hemp seeds produce very little THC. If extracting THC for recreation is your goal, it is going to be almost impossible to do this with industrial hemp seeds. Vice versa some THC dense strains of cannabis produce shorter & thinner stalks. This means that they would not be sought after for harvest hemp biomass fibre.”
