There are politicians who are still trying to wrap their heads around this one, but the fact is that hemp and cannabis are not the same thing. It’s easy to equate the two. After all, they both come from the same plant, and they are often used interchangeably in conversation. But hemp and marijuana are quite different. How different? Glad you asked!
NO HIGH, NO HOW
If you smoke hemp, you won’t get high. Give it a try. You can smoke it from morning til night and it won’t make a difference. In fact, you’ll probably just get a nasty headache. There just isn’t enough THC in hemp to have a psychoactive effect. While marijuana can contain 5-20% of THC on average, hemp will top out at .3% max. No, hemp won’t get you high. But it’s a heck of an agricultural and industrial product.
THEY’RE RELATED, BUT THEY SURE DON’T LOOK IT
Again, hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, but they don’t look the same. Remember the movie TWINS? Ok, think of hemp as Arnold Schwarzenegger and marijuana as Danny DeVito. Hemp has strong, fibrous stalks that can reach heights of 20 feet. Marijuana, on the other hand, is short and bushy. Another difference? Hemp has very few branches and flowering buds. Marijuana has broad leaves and compact buds that are often hairy. They have the same momma, but you’d never know it by looking at them.
HEMP IS LOW MAINTENANCE, POT IS A PAIN
Take a drive around the American Midwest and you might find hemp growing in patches of weeds. Yeah. Hemp grows wildly and easily. In fact, it can tolerate all manner of climates. But if you’ve ever tried growing marijuana in your dorm room, then you know it needs a carefully controlled environment. Cannabis is sensitive. It needs a warm and humid atmosphere, and a lot of TLC.
YOU CAN MAKE A DOG BED OUT OF HEMP, BUT DON’T GIVE YOUR DOG POT
Hemp can be made into a slew of widely used products, like paper, clothes, canvas, twine, fuel, body lotions and oils, construction materials, food, paint, detergent, and even boat sails. You can even eat hemp seeds like nuts.
You’d have a pretty hard time making a new suit from marijuana, but it makes up for its lack of industrial utility by getting you high. And, it might do WAY more than that. Studies suggest that cannabis may decrease anxiety, control seizures, reverse the carcinogenic effects of tobacco, slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and even stop cancer cells from spreading. Not bad for the Danny DeVito of plants.
If you have any questions about hemp vs. marijuana, remember that our friendly budtenders can give you answers. Stop by and let’s chat!