There is a lot of confusion about the cannabis plant. People use the words “cannabis,” “hemp,” “marijuana” and others interchangeably — even when they actually mean different things.

Is hemp the same thing as marijuana? Is cannabis the same thing as hemp? Is cannabis the same thing as marijuana?

The answer to the questions above is ‘no’.

• Cannabis is a plant family that includes many species, including sativa, indica, and ruderalis.
• Hemp is a variety of cannabis grown for its tall, sturdy stalks and low THC levels.
• Marijuana is technically an alternate name, a slang term, for the cannabis plant, most often used to refer to a preparation of the drug. Marijuana consists of the dried leaves and stems of the cannabis plant and tends to be higher in THC levels.

Hemp and marijuana are two varieties of cannabis grown for different purposes. When people say “cannabis,” they often mean “marijuana.” They don’t realize that cannabis also refers to hemp plants.

Think of it like squares and rectangles. A square is a type of rectangle with four sides of the same length. All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

Hemp is a variety of cannabis with low THC levels. All hemp is cannabis, but not all cannabis is hemp. Some types of cannabis are grown for high levels of THC — those are called marijuana.

Differences Between Hemp and Cannabis

While hemp and cannabis are both derived from the same species (Cannabis sativa), there are major differences in the characteristics of the respective plant strains that produce industrial hemp on the one hand, and cannabis products on the other. Most people understand these differences in terms like “cannabis is a drug but hemp isn’t”, and “hemp comes from the male plant and cannabis comes from the female plant.” However, the reality of the situation is a little more complex.

What is Hemp?

Hemp has important applications in plant-based pest control, and it has been used for many years as a natural method of controlling the growth of weeds and invasive plants. More recently, hemp has also been considered as a potential source of biofuel.

Basically, hemp is a strain of the Cannabis Sativa plant that is grown primarily for use in industrial applications. It has been specifically cultivated to produce a low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content and a high cannabidiol (CBD) content.

THC is the psychoactive constituent of cannabis, and is responsible for producing the effects of the drug. CBD is another active ingredient present in Cannabis sativa plants, and it largely acts to neutralize the psychoactive effects of THC.

Since hemp strains have very little THC and a lot of CBD, they do not produce psychoactive effects when ingested. Rather, hemp is used for a wide range of industrial purposes, including: clothing and textiles, building materials, plastic and composite materials, paper, cordage, cosmetics, & food.

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