Hemp VS Cannabis VS Marijuana

What is the different between Hemp VS Cannabis VS Marijuana? Is there really a difference?

Cannabis is a plant in the botanical family Cannabaceae. This encompasses what we think of as the hemp plant, as well as what we think of as the marijuana plant. When we think industrial we think ‘hemp’ and when we think of consuming we think of cannabis or marijuana. Society has conditioned us to think this way, but the unconditioning is happening, with some people managing to uncondition themselves and open their eyes to need beliefs.

Traditionally rope, clothing, plastics etc… are made from ‘hemp’ not ‘cannabis’, but when we start to drive deeper, hemp is cannabis. It isn’t it’s own plant, it is a type of cannabis, a different breed or spieces of plant as it were. But cannabis is illegal right? Wrong. Cannabis itself is not illegal, THC is illegal. But because of the way society has conditioned us, we only assoicate THC with cannabis not hemp.

Industrial Hemp

Industrial hemp is mostly male plants with no flowers or a mix of male and female. They do not produce much THC – to count as hemp, a plant must contain less than 0.2% THC (UK) or less than 0.3% THC (USA). But do make small amounts of CBD in the leaves as well as any as well as any flowers if female plants are included. In terms of medical cannabinoids is that you need to harvest way more plants to get the same amount of CBD and other non-THC minor cannabinoids.

Most hemp varities contain only about 3.5% CBD. Plants that have been cultivated to have high-CBD flowers can contain upwards of 15-20% CBD. In comparison to hemp leaves which contain around 1%. But it takes 100 plants to do the job that 10 could do! In many countries, it is currently only legal to grow low-THC hemp varieties. So most of the CBD products you see on the shelves in the UK and the US, available without medical prescription, come from these varities.

Scientists are still arguing about the exact difference genetically between hemp strains and cannabis strains with over 0.3% THC. There are lots of overlapping genes between the two types, although hemp varieties seem to come from a slightly wider gene pool compared to the high-THC strains bred for the recreational market over the past few decades.

Does the source of CBD matter?

Whatever the source of CBD used to make full-spectrum oil, it is important that the method of extraction doesn’t produce harmful chemicals. For this reason, CO2 supercritical extraction, which uses pressurised carbon dioxide, is considered one of the best methods. Rather than using solvents like butane and hexane that can leave behind toxic residues. As has been demonstrated in multiple lab tests and studies investigating common CBD products. If the source of CBD is high-CBD female flowers, a simple alcohol or oil extraction method is also possible. Plus is safer than other solvents. New and better ways of extraction are being developed all the time. It won’t be long before CO2 extraction may not be the easy winner for large-scale extraction.

Industrial hemp is also cultivated for non-medical and non-wellness uses, to make clothes, paper, textiles, rope, hemp plastic, hemp batteries and bio fuel, while the seeds are sold as a health food.

So why do we choose the hemp variety of cannabis

With the legal status of ‘Cannabis’ it is extremely hard to get a license to grow cannabis. But as soon as you switch the word ‘Cannabis’ for ‘Hemp’, the process is still difficult but a lot easier. It isn’t because hemp is useful and cannabis just gets you high, they can both be used for the same things and in the same ways.

It isn’t only ‘Cannabis’ that some people are conditioned to believe is bad. Some people that claim to support the plant with slate ‘Hemp’ plants, telling people they’re not ‘real cannabis’, when in fact it is all cannabis. But what about the word ‘Marijuana’, where does this fit in?

Marijuana

Marijuana is a hot topic within the industry. Some people believe the word to be racist because of it’s origins and do not like to use it. The word Marijuana originates from the Spanish word ‘Marihuana’, the word came to England in the late 19th century. Other early variants include ‘Mariguan’, ‘Marihuano’ & ‘Marahuana’.

The use of ‘Marihuana’ in America increased dramatically in the 1930’s. It was preferred as an exotic sounding alternative during the prohabition. It has been suggested that the US used the word to stigmatize cannabis with a ‘foreign-sounding name’.

From the portrayal in the media of marijuana use by the hippie subculture in the 1960s, the word became associated with revolutionary youth. By 1975, reggae artist Peter Tosh defended the use of marijuana in the song “Legalize It“. Since then, the word has been associated with the stoner comedy genre, in films including the 1978 Up In Smoke and other media including the New York Off-Broadway show The Marijuana-Logues.

So is hemp VS cannabis VS marijuana actually a thing?

In conclusion

Hemp VS cannabis VS Marijuana. Cannabis is cannabis. Hemp is cannabis. Marijuana is cannabis. You cannot support either side without supporting cannabis in one way or another. The divide that there is has been fabricated to make sure that society sees ‘cannabis’ as a detromental thing that can bring harm to the world. 100 years later people are starting to see the truth and question the laws that have been put into place for our safety.

Resources

• The CBD Bible – Cannabis and the wellness revolution that will change your life by Dr Dani Gordon
• The Rebel’s Apothecary – A Practical Guide to the Healing Magic of Cannabis, CBD, and Mushrooms by Jenny Sansouci.
• Wikipedia

Please Note

• Keep CBD out of reach of children.
• The MHRA have not evaluated any of these statements.
• We do not intend to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
• Do not use this information to replace the advice of your doctor.
• If any products cause any reaction, please seek medical advice.
• The Conscious Cannabis Club approve all recommended products.