As controversy surrounding cannabis swirls in the community and on social media, hemp – the same species of plant as cannabis, Cannabis sativa – has quietly entered the fray.
According to California Health and Safety Code Section 11018.5, “Industrial hemp means a crop that is limited to types of the plant Cannabis sativa L. having no more than three-tenths of 1% tetrahydrocannabinol contained in the dried flowering tops, whether growing or not; the seeds of the plant; the resin extracted from any part of the plant and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of the plant, its seeds or resin produced there from.”
THC is the compound in cannabis that creates the “high,” with some strains producing up to 34% of the chemical. Hemp is not bred or grown for this feature but is utilized for many other uses.
Cannabis advocates praise the benefits of industrial hemp. This plant has many applications and produces a lot of products, including oils, seeds for feed, plant fiber for rope and cloth, leaves and stems for animal food and many more.
The federal government has de-criminalized industrial hemp due to legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, effective Jan. 1, removed hemp from Schedule I of the federal controlled substances act.
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