Hemp: The Facts

After spending only a half year working in the hemp industry, I have already noticed that there are striking misconceptions about hemp--both the plant, its uses, and its legal stature around the world. In this article I hope to demystify this incredible plant and clear up some of the delusions many people have regarding hemp.

Misconception #1 - “Hemp is not marijuana”

Yes, it is. The term “hemp” colloquially refers to the non-psychoactive varieties of Cannabis sativa and indica. In the United States, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015 set an arbitrary threshold for THC content, classifying hemp as any cannabis strain containing no more than .3% THC on a dry weight basis. (This threshold varies on a state to state basis. For example in West Virginia, hemp can contain up to 1% THC). Cannabis plants meeting this requirement are not featured on the controlled substances list and thus are not regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). It is largely believed that hemp and cannabis are completely different plants, but the truth is that genetic lineage and cultivation technique are the only differences separating medicinal/recreational cannabis from hemp.

Misconception #2 - "Hemp grows differently that THC-containing cannabis, and looks similar to bamboo"

Industrial hemp, and THC-containing cannabis, when cultivated under the same methods, will look nearly identical. In large-scale, industrial hemp production, seeds are densely scattered over many acres of mechanically managed farmland. When cannabis plants are raised very closely together, the grow leggy and tall as they compete with each other for available sunlight. Female plants tend to develop only small flowers due to spatial and resource constraints. Typically, hemp plants grown in such a system are cultivated for seed and fiber. If the same seed is given ample room to grow, it will in fact develop into a full blown ganja plant, resembling the quintessential images of medical cannabis plants. Here is a female hemp plant with plenty of space to grow, in the midst of flowering:

Misconception #3 - “Hemp is only grown for fibers and seed”

A new wave of entrepreneurs are cultivating hemp specifically for its flower. Certain varieties of hemp contain high concentrations of Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the more expensive, misunderstood, and talked-about cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. Flower from many strains of cannabis contain significant amounts of the substance. Only recently, CBD has exploded in popularity among cannabis users, medical professionals, and average Joes. Hell, people are even feeding their dogs CBD supplements to promote longevity. Because hemp can now be legally cultivated in numerous states across the US, and CBD is in high demand, growers are turning to hemp flower cultivation to cash in on the CBD goldrush. You can read up on CBD and its use cases here.

In the United States, hemp is a new agricultural frontier and a new surge of research and development is pushing the industry out of the shadows. The National Conference of State Legislature recently released this informative literature on hemps legal stature across the country. Hemp is soon to be in the limelight in the cannabis business, and I look forward to watching the industry mature and the taboos surround the plant erode.