What is hemp?

We've updated our Privacy Policy to make it clearer how we use your personal data. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience, read our Cookie Policy. Article Sep 02, by Nicole Gleichmann. Over the last couple of years, CBD has hit the mainstream.

What is hemp?

We've updated our Privacy Policy to make it clearer how we use your personal data. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience, read our Cookie Policy. Article Sep 02, by Nicole Gleichmann. Over the last couple of years, CBD has hit the mainstream. You hear about from your health-savvy friends, the nightly news, and in magazine ads. This is in stark contrast to marijuana-based products.

Unless you reside in a state where recreational or medical marijuana is legal, you are still unable to buy, sell, or possess anything derived from marijuana legally. Even if you live in a state with legal cannabis, you still must go to a licensed dispensary to access it. Why are hemp and marijuana treated in such different ways? With such an obvious distinction between marijuana and hemp, many people mistakenly assume that they are separate species. In fact, hemp and marijuana belong to the same genus and species, Cannabis sativa.

Even though hemp and marijuana are both the same species of plant, there are important ways in which they differ. Understanding these can help you navigate the cannabis market. In the United States, marijuana is defined as any Cannabis sativa plant that has greater than 0. THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis.

The more THC you consume, the more changes you will notice in your cognition and how you feel. Hemp plants are defined as any cannabis plant that has 0. Even a plant with 0. Prior to the s , there was no national stigma against the use of cannabis, and people used it in whatever ways they pleased. It was commonly used for the production of paper, clothing, and rope, as a herbal medicine, and as a recreational drug. But following a pernicious smear campaign in the s , public opinion began to change.

This led to the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act in , the first legal restriction of cannabis. In , all cannabis plants and products became illegal under the Controlled Substances act of These restrictions killed cannabis agriculture in the United States. People were no longer able to grow cannabis plants for their fiber or medicinal benefits. This bill defined hemp plants as those with 0. This increased legality is largely to thank for the rapid acceleration in diversity and availability of hemp-derived CBD oil.

Marijuana, on the other hand, is still categorized as a Schedule 1 drug. This means that any marijuana-derived product is considered illegal under federal law. However, states have the ability to legalize medical marijuana and recreational marijuana, which is why people who live in certain states have access to the therapeutic benefits of the marijuana plant, while those in other states do not.

For many thousands of years, humans have been selectively breeding cannabis plants. Some of these plants were bred for their medicinal and psychoactive potential. These are the plants now known as marijuana plants, or drug plants, thanks to their naturally-high THC content. Other cannabis plants were bred for their fiber or seeds to be used for things like fabric and textiles, food, supplements, and body products.

These cannabis plants are now classified as industrial hemp plants so long as their THC levels are low enough. Today, hemp is well-known for its use in the creation of CBD products. Because industrial hemp and marijuana are used for different purposes, selective breeding has resulted in these two varieties differing in their appearance. The majority of THC and other healthful compounds found in cannabis plants are located in the cannabis flower, meaning the more flower, the better.

This has led to marijuana plants being shorter and bushier than hemp plants. Industrial hemp plants were largely bred for their fiber, which is mainly found in the stalks of the plant. As a result, hemp plants are taller and skinnier than their marijuana counterparts.

Even though most botanists consider all cannabis plants to belong to the same species, they have often been split into two varieties : Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica. Most people experienced with cannabis are familiar with this distinction as it has long been used as a basis for describing different strains of marijuana. Marijuana that was more energetic or uplifting was classified as a sativa, while marijuana that was more relaxing or sedative was said to be an indica.

Additionally, these two varieties were said to differ in their appearance. Even though this categorization remains popular today, it has been widely debunked by scientists. Interestingly, a study examining the genotypes of 43 hemp samples and 81 marijuana samples identified a consistent difference between hemp and marijuana.

Hemp is genetically more similar to C. This confusing genetic mix is thanks to thousands of years of human travel with cannabis seeds and selective breeding. Unless you go to a marijuana dispensary to purchase CBD oil , the CBD oil that you find is made exclusively from the hemp plant.

You can further differentiate CBD oil as a full spectrum, broad spectrum, or isolate. Broad spectrum CBD oil also contains other phytonutrients, but it has been processed in such a way as to remove all THC.

Cannabis oil, on the other hand, is oil extracted from marijuana varieties of the cannabis plant. These oils can vary in composition, but they will usually have some percentage of THC, CBD, and other healthful plant compounds. CBD oil can technically be made from marijuana as it too can be rich in CBD, but most CBD-rich oils derived from marijuana will be termed cannabis oil or marijuana oil to avoid confusion. Thanks to the hard work of people around the world, including scientists, doctors, farmers, business owners, and citizens, our knowledge of and access to cannabis-based products is steadily increasing.

While there are differences between hemp and marijuana, they are the same plant. The legal definition and status of these plants only makes it harder for scientists to conduct research and people to access the products most beneficial for their health.

Instead of splitting cannabis into two categories, we can benefit more from breeding plants for their potential uses without restrictions based on the percentage of THC found within. Like what you just read? You can find similar content on the topic tags shown below. Read More. Watch Now. I Understand. Hemp vs Marijuana: Is There a Difference? Legality: Thanks to the Farm Bill, Hemp Is Legal Prior to the s , there was no national stigma against the use of cannabis, and people used it in whatever ways they pleased.

Appearance Because industrial hemp and marijuana are used for different purposes, selective breeding has resulted in these two varieties differing in their appearance. Why Are Hemp and Marijuana Different? Is the Hemp vs Marijuana Distinction Useful? However, not everyone agrees that industrial hemp plants are the best cannabis plants to extract CBD, especially full spectrum products. High-resin cannabis plants, which are largely marijuana plants, have upregulated genes for cannabinoid synthesis.

This means that marijuana plants usually have a greater diversity of cannabinoids than hemp plants, which can add therapeutic value to full spectrum CBD products. The Future of CBD Oil Thanks to the hard work of people around the world, including scientists, doctors, farmers, business owners, and citizens, our knowledge of and access to cannabis-based products is steadily increasing.

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Industrial Hemp. Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable.

You might know that the Farm Bill legalized the production of hemp, which effectively legalized CBD, too. Although cannabis the drug and industrial hemp both derive from cannabis sativa and contain the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol THC , they are distinct strains with unique compositions and uses. In short, neither hemp nor CBD will get you high.

In the wake of cannabis legalization across many US states, hemp is getting a lot of attention. And rightfully so!

Hemp actually refers to the industrial variant which is cultivated for its fiber, hurd, and seeds, as well as the other natural healing compounds found in its leaves. The seed is mainly used in dietary products.

What is hemp

The marijuana plant has many uses apart from drug use. Hemp has as low as 0. In fact, hemp produces a cannabinoid called CBD. CBD is a nonpsychoactive component of the cannabis plant, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and actually blocks the high typically associated with marijuana. CBD's nonpsychoactive effects can be helpful in the medical world. A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information reports that the protective effect of CBD has been shown to help in murine collagen-induced arthritis.

What is Hemp?

This week, Congress agreed to the final version of the Farm Bill, and President Trump is expected to sign the legislation within days. But this is not your typical farm bill. While it provides important agricultural and nutritional policy extensions for five years, the most interesting changes involve the cannabis plant. Typically, cannabis is not part of the conversation around farm subsidies, nutritional assistance, and crop insurance. For a little bit of background, hemp is defined in the legislation as the cannabis plant yes, the same one that produces marijuana with one key difference: hemp cannot contain more than 0. For decades, federal law did not differentiate hemp from other cannabis plants, all of which were effectively made illegal in under the Marihuana Tax Act and formally made illegal in under the Controlled Substances Act—the latter banned cannabis of any kind. However, there remain some misconceptions about what, exactly, this policy change does. This allowed small-scale expansion of hemp cultivation for limited purposes. The Farm Bill is more expansive.

Hemp , Cannabis sativa , also called industrial hemp , plant of the family Cannabaceae cultivated for its fibre bast fibre or its edible seeds. Hemp is sometimes confused with the cannabis plants that serve as sources of the drug marijuana and the drug preparation hashish.

Since the Farm Bill legalized the production of hemp in the U. Hemp seed oil, also called hemp oil, has been around for decades, often sold at health food stores and used in cooking and skincare.

What is Hemp Seed Oil?

Hemp , or industrial hemp , is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. Although cannabis as a drug and industrial hemp both derive from the species Cannabis sativa and contain the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol THC , they are distinct strains with unique phytochemical compositions and uses. Some governments regulate the concentration of THC and permit only hemp that is bred with an especially low THC content. In those languages "hemp" can refer to either industrial fiber hemp or narcotic cannabis strains. Hemp is used to make a variety of commercial and industrial products, including rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation, and biofuel. The inner two fibers of the plant are woodier and typically have industrial applications, such as mulch, animal bedding, and litter. When oxidized often erroneously referred to as "drying" , hemp oil from the seeds becomes solid and can be used in the manufacture of oil-based paints, in creams as a moisturizing agent, for cooking, and in plastics. Hemp seeds have been used in bird feed mix as well. Hemp seeds can be eaten raw, ground into hemp meal, sprouted or made into dried sprout powder. Hemp seeds can also be made into a liquid and used for baking or for beverages such as hemp milk and tisanes.

What is hemp?

Get the latest information from CDC Coronavirus. Our third president grew weed? This same species of plant is also called marijuana. Yes and no. Hemp and marijuana are both names for the Cannabis sativa plant, but people usually use these terms to talk about two different varieties of the plant. Varieties grown to make hemp rope and other products you see on the shelves including the varieties Jefferson and others grew during the s have a whole lot less of the chemical that makes marijuana users feel high.

What is hemp

Hemp is a plant in the Cannabis sativa plant species, which grows in stalks and is harvested for different purposes and uses, such as creating fabric out of its fibers or extracting the hemp oil to take advantage of its cannabinoids. For over 10, years, hemp has been a part of human society as a source of food and fiber. Hemp originated in Asia and is now a crop in many parts of the northern hemisphere. In addition to hemp having various uses, hemp is a sustainable crop that produces a wide range of biodegradable materials. Hemp is considered a weed because of its fast-growing and sustainable properties. Although hemp has been used for thousands of years, there are still some controversial aspects of this versatile plant. Some strains of the Cannabis sativa species contain the psychoactive component called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, but there are other strains of cannabis that contain only trace amounts of THC.

Hemp vs Marijuana: Is There a Difference?

To save this word, you'll need to log in. Send us feedback. See more words from the same century Dictionary Entries near hemp hemostat hemostatic hemozoon hemp hemp agrimony hemp-brake hemp dogbane. Accessed 12 May. Keep scrolling for more More Definitions for hemp hemp. Please tell us where you read or heard it including the quote, if possible. Name that Fruit! Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!