July is officially National Hemp Month. But even more important, July 17-23 is Hemp History Week. Combined, they provide a perfect opportunity to promote the benefits of hemp. They also dispel the myths that commonly follow hemp around.

The stigma of hemp

It’s an unfortunate truth that all the concerns and issues surrounding marijuana have followed hemp. While the parent plant, cannabis, is the same, the two types of products created are completely different.

It’s really THC that most people are concerned about, and for a hemp product to be legal, it can only contain 0.3% of this specific cannabinoid. You’ll find it, in large amounts, in marijuana since it’s the cannabinoid that makes you feel ‘high.’ For hemp product manufacturers, it’s the one compound that appears the least. Some manufacturers even offer THC-free options.

Hemp is not marijuana

The most important takeaway for National Hemp Month, is that hemp is not marijuana. Legally, the two things are completely different. Compositionally, these two things are also different.

Hemp is legal across all the 50 states. You can grow it, use it, sell it, and buy it. Marijuana has limitations on where it’s legal, and it’s still considered to be against the law at the federal level.

While all products from the cannabis plant can have the same array of ingredients, the quantities that they’re in varies enough to make hemp and marijuana compositionally different. For hemp, the cannabinoid most often extracted is CBD. This compound has a lot of potential benefits and is quite popular. For marijuana, the most common cannabinoid extracted is THC. This is what makes you feel ‘high,’ gives you the munchies, and may potentially lead to negative side effects like headaches.

Why consumers like hemp

Research studies are still in the works that will help shed light on all the ways the cannabinoids in hemp can potentially benefit humans. Already though, many users are quick to share their own personal experiences as to why they’re regular users of products like tinctures, balms, gummies, and more.

Most commonly, users note a greater sense of calm and less anxiety or stress. Additionally, user experiences establish a correlation, for some, to using hemp products and a reduction in muscle pain or inflammation. This feedback creates a lot of medicinal potential for hemp.

Hemp’s use beyond consumer products

In talking about the part of the plant that makes all the consumer products mentioned above, we’re leaving out a very valuable component. It’s the flower that makes the products we eat and the extract that goes into the topical products we use, but the rest of the plant can do a lot for us as well. 

The stems and leaves, known as biomass, have great potential to disrupt a variety of industries, providing better, stronger, more plentiful, and even cheaper alternatives to the way we do things now. Industries already looking to the possibilities of hemp biomass include:

• Fuel
• Animal feed
• Construction
• Paper
• Plastic
• And more

Knowing the benefits of hemp extend past the products we buy for ourselves give the plant an added dimension of use that will hopefully remove the stigma hemp carriers with it from popular thought.

We’re celebrating National Hemp Month too

At Arbor Vita8, we’re all about hemp. From seed-to-sale, we’ve got the knowledge, resources, products, and facilities to support you. We’re experts in drying, storing, and processing. If you’re a farmer or manufacturer looking for the perfect partner in hemp, look no further than Arbor Vita8. Even if you’re a consumer, interested in learning more about hemp-derived products, our online store has you covered. ‘

No matter your need, contact Arbor Vita8 today.