Hemp plant

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’s the Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana?

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.

You May Also Like. The Science of Cannabis Extraction Register.

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. 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.

Although hemp and marijuana are both classified biologically as cannabis, there are a number of important differences between them. These differences are evident in the way each variety is used. The differences are also documented in the language, laws, and regulations that apply to both.

Hemp , Cannabis sativa , also called industrial hemp , plant of the family Cannabaceae cultivated for its fibre bast fibre or its edible seeds.

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. Hemp seeds are typically hulled and use in variety of ways.

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Coarse, bushy herb up to 4m tall. Leaves grey-green, up to 12cm long, palmate with lanceolate leaflets, margin serrated. Individual plants either have male or female flowers dioecious. Flowers small, green and clustered. Fruits small, dry and thin-walled achene , contain only one seed.

Hemp vs. Marijuana

Don't have an account yet? Get the most out of your experience with a personalized all-access pass to everything local on events, music, restaurants, news and more. Marijuana may be the main attraction for many in the cannabis world, but Colorado also leads the way in hemp cultivation. Still, misconceptions around the differences or lack thereof between hemp and marijuana run rampant, so let's clear the confusion. To be blunt, there isn't much hereditary difference between the two. Both marijuana and hemp come from the plant species Cannabis Sativa L. It's one of the oldest domesticated crops; George Washington grew the plant at Mount Vernon. But years of breeding and manipulation resulted in the emergence of two varieties: one for medicinal and spiritual purposes, the other for agricultural and industrial uses. The plant's flowering tops and leaves contain the psychoactive elements and tetrahydrocannabinol THC content we've come to recognize as marijuana.

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.

February 15, There's been a lot of discussion about hemp recently, since the Farm Bill made it legal for farmers to grow industrial hemp for the first time since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act or, practically speaking, since the Marihuana Tax Act. There are still quite a few restrictions and regulations associated with growing hemp, but the fact that hemp is now legal — while marijuana is not — has raised a lot of questions.

Is hemp the same thing as marijuana?

First and foremost: Hemp is not marijuana. Marijuana is not hemp. Oftentimes people believe that hemp is the male plant of marijuana. This is false. Hemp and marijuana are both cannabis. But, hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the Cannabis sativa species. This confusion exists because marijuana was created by selectively breeding Indian hemp for Tetrahyrdocannabinol THC. THC is the major differentiating factor between hemp and marijuana. The major similarity when growing hemp and marijuana is when growing for the cannabinoids. Because these production schemes both desire high concentrations of cannabinoids found in the floral material; the current growing conditions are similar. Just like a marijuana grower, a hemp farmer growing for high concentrations of CBD would want to remove the male plants from the field or facility before pollination. This allows for less seed and higher concentrations of phytocannabinoids in each plant. Under this growing condition, hemp grown for phytocannabinoids like CBD commonly resembles marijuana production patterns. This CBD is produced at lower concentrations in the tops of fiber varieties.

Hemp vs Marijuana: Is There a Difference?

Industrial hemp is made up of varieties of Cannabis sativa L. Marijuana, hemp and cannabis are common names for plants of the genus Cannabis. The term "hemp" is used for cannabis plants that are grown for nondrug use, such as Cannabis sativa L. There are three species of the hemp plant: Cannabis sativa L. Deltatetrahydrocannabinol THC , the active ingredient of marijuana, is the main difference between the different species. Cannabis sativa L.