You should know that marijuana or as most people call it weed is mind altering substance that derives from a cannabis plant. At the same time, it is one of the most popular and used drugs in the US and the world, especially among people between eighteen and twenty-five. According to studies, weed features both long and short-term health effects.
However, cannabis and weed are not the same thing. As you can see, weed is a part of a cannabis plant, specifically strains that feature high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, which is essential for making you high.
Visit this website: https://agri.nv.gov/plant/seed_certification/industrial_hemp/regulations/ to learn regulations regarding industrial hemp. On the other hand, cannabis refers to any product that comes from a cannabis plant, which is vital to remember.
Hemp vs. Weed
Although hemp and weed are technically the same species of plant, we can differentiate two types of cannabis plants in the botanical world including medicinal and industrial plants.
Therefore, hemp is considered as an industrial plant, while marijuana is medicinal. Industrial plants are grown for seed oil and fiber, while medicinal ones feature THC and CBD as well as other cannabinoids.
The biggest difference between marijuana and hemp is in resin content. Industrial hemp plants feature low levels of resin, while medicinal come with high resin content. Marijuana is the name for the flowers of high resin cannabis, which is important distinction to remember.
When it comes to industrial hemp varieties, you should know that they tend to grow from pedigree seed, meaning you will get skinny, tall and bamboo-like plant. You must harvest them with a machine and manufacture into various products such as cloth, paper and edible oil.
Medicinal plants are grown from reproduced clones, feature two bushy plants per square meter and the flowers are hand-harvested, trimmed, dried and cured. The flowers are consumed later and used for medicinal and intoxicating effects.
Legal Distinction
Back in the day, US federal law defined marijuana based on resin content. Resin was mentioned in 1970 Controlled Substances Act, which was a copy from 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. In essence, the leaves, flowers and sticky resins became forbidden wherever they were found on the plant.
On the other hand, fiber from hemp stalk and oil pressed from unfertilized seed got a pass, but not the resin or flowers. However, things have changed in the latest years, which allowed the cultivation of industrial hemp that features no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight.
It means products derived from hemp with low levels of THC are legal, but they should not feature intoxicating effects. The Agricultural Act of 2014 defined industrial hemp for the first time and distinguished it from weed or marijuana. Later it became a part of the 2018 Farm Bill, which allowed cultivation.
We recommend you to click this page to learn how to safely use hemp flowers for personal requirements and needs.
Final Word
Although it features its shortcomings, you should know that the Farm Bill created a complete leap forward regarding hemp cultivation. Nowadays, farmers can cultivate hemp for commercial purposes and use it to make hemp flowers, which feature high CBD percentage and low THC content.