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Cannabis is a genus or generic term for flowering plants in the Cannabaceae family. The two popular names of the Cannabis plant are Hemp and Marijuana. Hence, Hemp and Marijuana come from Cannabis.
Cannabidiol, which is also known as CBD, is one of the many cannabinoids, or chemical compounds, found in marijuana and hemp. These chemical compounds trigger the cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are present in the human body and brain.
CBD is one of the 113 cannabinoids found in hemp plants. THC, (Tetrahydrocannabinol) on the other hand, is another compound found in the cannabis plant. But unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive.
Cannabis plays a major role not just in the industrial hemp products but also with the recreational drug, better known as marijuana or pot. So, what are the differences between marijuana and hemp?
1. Uses and Genetics
The main difference between hemp and marijuana is hemp is used to make food, it’s used in the textile industry, and it’s also used to make building materials.
On the other hand, marijuana is used in the field of medicine. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for recreational purposes. It makes you ‘high’ as it contains the psychoactive substance.
THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive substance in marijuana that causes the sensation of being “high.”
2. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) Content
Marijuana plants contain high levels of THC when compared to hemp, which contains very little of the psychoactive chemical. The hemp plants produce more CBD than THC, while marijuana produces more THC than CBD.
If you are wondering how long does it take for CBD oil to work, then its 30 mins at least to enter the bloodstream and deploy its beneficial effects.
3. Cultivation or Growth Conditions
As hemp and marijuana are grown for different reasons, they require and grow in different growing conditions.
Medical cannabis has been selectively bred for generations; the hemp plant with centuries of selective breeding has resulted in relatively low concentrations of THC.
Hemp plants are usually outdoor plants or are grown outdoors in order to maximize its size and yield; hence, less attention is being paid to individual plants.
Growing and cultivating marijuana requires close attention, and the marijuana growers aim to maintain stable light, humidity, temperature control, and the CO2 and oxygen levels need to be maintained among the other growing conditions.
4. The Legal Status
Cannabis is termed illegal to be produced in the United States. Under the Controlled Substances Act, both hemp and marijuana are classified as Schedule I drugs.
Outside the US, hemp is grown in more than 30 countries. These hemp plants are widely grown in Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, India, Spain, Sweden, Netherland, and many other countries as well.
Marijuana remains illegal in most countries. Canada and Israel have started to regulate marijuana as a medicine recently. But the legal production of marijuana is subjected to strict rules than hemp since it’s still widely considered a narcotic
As there are strict laws surrounding both forms of cannabis, being hemp and marijuana, this makes any research in their respective fields very difficult.
In spite of the above barriers, the researchers are still making progress in understanding how marijuana works and how it could be used to manage the expanding list of disorders coming up.
5. Field of Research
The industrial plant hemp contributes to the development of hemp technology and continues to reveal new, interesting, and intriguing ways, which in turn contributes to society in the future.
Hemp material is used to create a supercapacitor to help in the manufacture of cheap, fast-charging batteries. Hemp fiber has made its way into the car manufacturing industry and is also being used to develop new forms of renewable plastic, which has made it a common material that is useful in the car parts industry.
By law, as the legalization spreads across the globe, their contribution towards the current society and for the future is being recognized. Hence, the opportunity to explore the potential of cannabis has grown too. The possibilities to further explore them are endless, making this common to hemp and marijuana
Thordur Sturluson
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- What is the Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana? - June 3, 2019
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