Hemp; has there ever been a plant so burdened with confusion and controversy? Why such confusion? The answer is, quite simply, Marijuana. To this day the United States drug enforcement agencies continue to call the hemp plant marijuana without any mention of the botanical distinctions between the two. The connotations of the word “marijuana” and the word “hemp” have placed a heavy burden on how society views each, and many still believe that if hemp was legalized they would in turn be legalizing marijuana. However, they do not realize that although the two plants have their similarities they are also very different.
Perhaps the best way to describe the relationship between hemp and marijuana is to think of t
Cannabis is the only plant genus in which you can find the molecules known as cannabinoids. Cannabis produces two major cannabinoids THD (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). THC is responsible for the psychoactive effect. CBD, on the other hand, has recently been shown to block the effect of THC in the nervous system. The hemp plant has high levels of CBD and levels of THC lower then 1.0 percent. The psychoactive plant, marijuana, has high levels of THC and little to no CBD.
Although they have their similarities they are in fact very different. It is the wish of many that one day industrial hemp will be grown legally and authorities will recognize it separately from marijuana. Until that day people will continue to be misinformed of the clear dist
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