Hemp is one of the most widely misunderstood compounds in our day-to-day lives. However, many people have the common misconception that marijuana and hemp are the same herbs. Although hemp is a cannabis plant, it should not be confused with marijuana or weed as there are many differences between the two. Some of the most profound differences between hemp and marijuana are mentioned below:
Genetics
The very first difference between hemp and marijuana is they have different genetics.Cannabis is believed to be the oldest domesticated crop that has not changed throughout the span of time. Hemp is derived from plants which have been bred with other plants for industrial and medical uses. Marijuana on the other hand has historically been bred primarily for its psychoactive effects.
THC Content
The psychoactive effects of marijuana are induced by the THC content present in the plant.All of these marijuana plants have a very high content of THC. While CBD or hemp has limited or no THC content which is exactly why there are no psychoactive effects of this plant. At the same time both marijuana and hemp have CBD content but the latter does not have enough THC content to produce a high. Furthermore, CBD actually reduces the psychoactive effects of THC which further enunciates the fact that these are two different compounds.
Cultivation Techniques
Another prominent difference between hemp and CBD is the fact both are grown for different uses. Marijuana is almost exclusively cultivated for its psychoactive effects and its medical applications, while CBD is cultivated for an array of different reasons, including everything from medical uses to skin care to manufacturing hemp concrete and fabric. Marijuana is normally grown indoors under controlled temperatures to achieve the maximum THC while, hemp is grown outdoors to increase its yield and quality of the crop.
Legal status
Each state has different rules and regulations that govern both hemp and marijuana. Previously, both marijuana and hemp were classified as schedule 1 drugs but since society has changed its perspective about these plants, a lot has changed. Now twenty states in America have legalized medical marijuana and have rescheduled their drug classifications, in all of these states it is completely legal to grow and sell medical marijuana and hemp.
Marijuana cultivation is only limited to the states that have legalized the plant, while on the other hand it is completely legal to cultivate hemp in fourteen states of America. The reason why it has been legalized all around is due to the array of profound benefits that hemp provides. Furthermore, the laws that govern vary from each state for example in some states it is legal to grow hemp for personal use while it is legal to grow hemp for commercial or industrial purposes.
What are the current legal parameters of cultivating hemp?
The rules and regulation that govern this aspect of the society is changing every year as the benefits of hemp have now been clinically proven. Previously the subject of hemp sparked great controversy in America as each state has its own perspective on hemp and its applications.
Currently, it is completely legal to cultivate hemp seeds in fourteen different states; each state has their own statues that regulate the sale and what happens to that hemp after it’s planted. Furthermore, there are over thirteen states that are introducing industrial hemp growing programs and seven states have already established industrial hemp programs. States which have completely legalized the cultivation of hemp are as follows:
- CA – California
- CO – Colorado
- IN – Indiana
- KY – Kentucky
- MA – Massachusetts
- MO – Missouri
- ND – North Dakota
- OR – Oregon
- SC – South Carolina
- TN – Tennessee
- VT – Vermont
- VA – Virginia
- NC – North Carolina
- WV – West Virginia
At the same time, all of the states mentioned above have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, while there are other states which have legalized the cultivation of both marijuana and hemp with legal restrictions.
The National Conference of State Legislatures recently announced that another fourteen states have started developing policies to legalize and regulate the cultivation of hemp seeds.
One thing is for sure down the line every state will have to accept the fact that growing hemp on american soil will actually help the society as a whole.
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