By Noah Chen
Cannabis is an ancient crop that humanity has used for a variety of purposes for thousands of years. It has had many uses, one of which got it in a lot of trouble and made it illegal. However, it’s all about the properties of the plant that change it from marijuana to hemp. Both plants look the same, yet the lack of THC in hemp allows it to go into products many of us buy regularly. This is considered legal hemp.
The problem, a hemp plant and a marijuana plant (both cannabis) look the same. And, they both have pungent, fuzzy flowers which consumers can smoke.
Why was hemp illegal?
The psychoactive nature of THC in marijuana did the cannabis plant in. So quickly, everyone forgot about hemp. You can use it to make cloth, paper, biofuel, and more. Its versatility was even intimidating to other industries like cotton and paper mills. Suddenly, the plant wasn’t doing anything good, instead marijuana caused those under the influence to behave in dangerous and threatening ways. Marijuana became the prevalent byproduct of the cannabis plant, leaving hemp stuck in the background.
It wasn’t long before the successful smear campaign of the cannabis plant ruined the prospects of hemp. This killed the reality of legal hemp for sometime.
How hemp makes a comeback
Marijuana, though legal in certain states, is still on the outlaw list at the federal level. However, legal hemp is making a comeback.
In 2018, the Farm Bill passed, making it legal to once again grow and sell hemp in the US. To qualify as hemp, the cannabis plant must have no more than 0.3 percent THC in it. Anything that tests with a higher percentage must get destroyed. Testing takes place within a certain timeframe leading up to harvest.
When a hemp plant, grown for CBD or other cannabinoids, is ready to pick, you have a plant with a stunning resemblance to marijuana. And, although most farmers decide to extract the lucrative oils from their plants and sell those to manufacturers, some harvest and package the flower itself in ways that make it look the same as any other smokable product.
Packaging hemp flower to sell
We can’t do anything about someone mistakenly thinking you’re smoking pot when it’s really just legal hemp. Once the item is out of the package, it’s all on you, so be careful. While it’s still in the package though, certain requirements help make it easy to identify hemp flower as hemp flower and not the other kind of sticky green stuff.
Selling hemp flower means having a label that’s clear. You want products with a statement of identity that makes it obvious you’re not buying (or selling) marijana. The packaging should say, “industrial hemp flower,” “CBD flower,” or something similar to ensure there’s no mistake. The package should also include specifics on what’s in the product. Make sure the percentages of each compound are there too. You want to know there’s less than 0.3 percent THC, but also what percentage of CBD you’re getting.
To avoid any confusion whatsoever, use the word hemp whenever possible. Hemp, by definition, is not marijana. The properties are different, and it’s legal.
Hemp continues to sell
Even with the risk of getting your smokable hemp flower swiped for being marijana, you can still partake if this is your preferred method of ingesting CBD. Look for products labeled as pre-rolls to find hemp you can smoke. At Arbor Vita8, our hemp pre-rolls are made from the highest quality CBD flower. They are all-natural with an enticing taste, giving you the ability to enjoy smoking without the psychoactive effects of THC. Check out our online store to purchase a six pack today, and see what other top-quality, hemp-derived products Arbor Vita8 sells.
