What’s The Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana?
Hemp and marijuana are the same kinds of plants. The main difference is how much of a certain cannabinoid each one has.
What’s Hemp?
When people talk about “hemp,” they mean cannabis with 0.3 percent or less THC by dry weight.
Why only 0.3%? This definition was first suggested in 1979 in a book called “The Species Problem in Cannabis: Science & Semantics.”
In the book, author Ernest Small talks about how hard it is to tell the difference between hemp and cannabis because there is no real taxonomic difference between the two.
Small suggested the 0.3 percent rule as a possible solution, but he admitted that it was just a number he made up.
This number was used in the legal definition of hemp, which was included in the Agricultural Act of 2018 and other U.S. laws.
Hemp is unlikely to get you high because it has so little THC.
What Is Marijuana?
People usually mean cannabis which can get you high when they say “marijuana.” The word is often used the same way as “weed” and a few other words.
“Marijuana” is the legal name for cannabis with more than 0.3% THC by dry weight. Different cannabis plants have different amounts of THC. Some strains are designed to have more THC than others.
Cannabis plants have been categorized as Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, or a hybrid. Each of these is said to have its own properties and effects, but science hasn’t been able to prove this yet.
Hemp vs. Cannabis
Even though hemp and cannabis are both types of the same plant, they are used in different ways and have different amounts of CBD or THC. Plants have been grown all over the world for a very long time. Hemp has been used for many years to make fiber, food, oil, and biofuel. Hemp can be used to make plastics as well. Cannabis has been used for recreation for thousands of years. It may also help with a number of health problems, which is why it is used in medical cannabis programs in many states.
Hemp CBD vs. CBD From Cannabis
So, what’s the difference between CBD made from marijuana and CBD made from hemp? Actually, there isn’t any!
When CBD is refined from a plant, there is no difference between CBD from a cannabis plant and CBD from an industrial hemp plant.
The main difference between the two sources is that state and federal laws control how the plants are grown and whether or not they can be grown legally in different states and cities. Industrial hemp usually has more CBD than high-CBD types of cannabis, which makes it a good choice for companies that want to refine it for CBD to use in different products. There are a lot of CBD products made from cannabis, though.
As more states start growing industrial hemp, more CBD products could be made from industrial hemp instead of strains of “regular cannabis” that are high in CBD and low in THC.
Hemp Plant vs. Cannabis Plant
Cannabis plants tend to grow shorter than hemp plants. Cannabis plants have been bred to grow bigger and have more THC-filled flowers. Industrial hemp plants have been bred to grow taller and have more fiber that can be turned into rope, textiles, and other hemp products. Industrial hemp plants are also usually hardier than cannabis plants.
They can be grown close together in fields and harvested like fiber-growing grasses. Cannabis plants are grown far apart instead of close together so that they can be cared for carefully and make the most flowers.
Hemp Oil vs. Cannabis Oil
People may call CBD oil “hemp oil,” but hemp oil is made from the seeds of the cannabis plant and is used for nutrition and skin care. The oil in cannabis seeds doesn’t come from CBD or THC. CBD oil comes from the stalks, leaves, and flowers of the cannabis plant. CBD oil can have very little or no THC in it. CBD or THC can be added to oil or tinctures made from the cannabis plant.
