"Hemp", "marijuana" and "cannabis", several terms to indicate the same plant or are there really differences?
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himOne of the most common mistakes people make when talking about cannabis is to think that hemp e marijuana are two distinct and different plants. In reality, it is only a question of several lexical terms to indicate the same species: the plant that is part of the botanical family of Cannabaceae (subset of the order of plants Urticales).
While science does not distinguish between "hemp" and "cannabis", the law does. According to the laws in force in the United States, in fact, the main difference between the two is the content of tetraidrocannabinolo (THC), Or the active principle responsible for the effects that are commonly associated with Cannabis Sativa.
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What is considered "hemp"? The term is used to refer to cannabis that contains percentages of THC less than 0,3%. Why exactly this percentage, though? The value was indicated for the first time in 1979 in the book The Species Problem in Cannabis: Science & Semantics, where the author Ernest Small proposes the 0,3% rule as a possible solution to distinguish hemp and marijuana, since it does not there is no actual taxonomic difference between the two. Even though Small himself stated that that value is actually totally arbitrary, the 0,3% rule was recovery in the legal definition of hemp, as specified in the Agricultural Act of 2018 and other laws in the United States. This specific THC level is very low, which is why it was chosen, as it shouldn't lead to the best known effects of cannabis.
What is considered "marijuana"? It usually refers to cannabis that can get you "high", the effect that is expected after smoking a "joint". Legally, marijuana contains percentages of THC greater than 0,3% and it is not federally legal in the United States, while hemp cultivation is recognized by law thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill. In fact, hemp with less than 0,3% THC can also be used to produce:
- paper;
- clothing;
- textiles;
- food for animals;
- plastic;
- food items, such as hemp seeds, hemp milk, hemp protein powder, or hemp oil.
In summary, science tells us that between "hemp" and "marijuana" there is no difference. It is the law that bases the distinction on the different levels of THC contained in the substance.
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