Legalizing Weed: 4 Ways Industrial Hemp Differs From Marijuana

While there is some public confusion about the distinction between marijuana and industrial hemp, the fact is that these two products of the cannabis sativa plant have substantially different uses and characteristics. Because of this confusion, industrial hemp is often erroneously conflated with the movement for legalizing weed.

Here are four key ways industrial hemp is different from marijuana:

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1. Use: Perhaps the most important distinction, the way that industrial hemp has been traditionally used by society is profoundly different than the way marijuana is used. While weed is primarily cultivated for its medical uses and psychoactive properties, industrial hemp is grown for its ability to be processed into up to 20,000 different products, including textiles, clothing, animal feed, plastics, and more.

2. THC Levels: THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the part of the plant that acts on the brain to produce mood- and perception-altering effects. While marijuana contains between 3 and 30 percent THC, U.S. law defines industrial hemp as any part of the cannabis sativa plant that does not have psychoactive effects. Most experts estimate the amount of THC in industrial hemp at less than .3 percent, according to Medical Jane.

3. Legality: Products made from industrial hemp are legal to purchase throughout the U.S. without exception. These products can include food, clothing, textiles, soaps, skin care products, oils, and countless others. On the other hand, marijuana is currently still illegal for purchase in most of the country. Just three states and Washington, D.C., allow marijuana for recreational use, with 17 more states also allowing it for medical use. As the legal weed movement continues to gain traction, however, marijuana is close to becoming accepted, as many more states decriminalize possession of small amounts of the drug.

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4. Growing Conditions: Because the two types of this plant have such different uses, distinct cultivation methods are needed for each. Farmers have over time bred primarily male plants for industrial hemp, which produces higher stalks, stronger plants without flowering buds, and low to no THC content. On the other hand, marijuana plants, which are primarily female, produce the flowering buds that are smoked or ingested for medical and recreational use. Hemp plants tend to be hardier and withstand a variety of conditions, while marijuana plants need a more carefully controlled environment to maximize THC content.

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