As a lifelong Hemp activist, I used to get frustrated when I’d hear people ask “what’s the difference between Hemp and marijuana?” Marijuana is grown for THC and used primarily as a narcotic or medical treatment, while Hemp contains no meaningful amounts of THC and can be used to manufacture thousands of different environmentally friendly products. It was obvious to me back then. When I look around today, however, I can forgive people for being confused as to the nature of the relationship. Every day, dozens of new CBD products come to the marketplace marketing themselves as marijuana alternatives, sporting rasta colors, or calling their CBD ‘Hemp Extract’ in an attempt to avoid scrutiny.

As an activist, it saddens me to see the barriers between these two distinct plants so eroded, especially after so much effort has been put into differentiating between the practical, industrial uses of Hemp and the recreational, or medical uses of cannabis. Many people involved in the Hemp industry feel, as I myself feel, that the constant connection being made between Hemp and marijuana - by lazy journalism and by unscrupulous companies marketing CBD as a marijuana alternative - are undermining Hemp’s true potential: a multibillion dollar sustainability powerhouse.

What does that mean? Well, for those of you who are only familiar with Hemp because of CBD’s recent rise to prominence, I’ll try to keep it brief. Industrial Hemp is the most sustainable and versatile crop on the planet. There are more than 25,000 different low-waste, carbon-friendly products that can be manufactured from all different parts of the Hemp plant. The most promising product categories include construction materials (carbon negative Hemp-based materials could almost totally replace drywall and fibreglass insulation), textiles (an acre of Hemp needs only half as much water to grow than an acre of cotton and is a much stronger natural fiber), and food (Hemp seeds (which contain no CBD) have gained popularity recently as a superfood, and is one of the best and most complete sources of plant-based proteins and omega fatty acids found in nature).

What makes these products special is that, grown correctly, they could all be manufactured from the same acre of Hemp, simultaneously - a waste-free solution. Unfortunately, most of these products aren’t quite market competitive yet, largely due to the small scale nature of Hemp cultivation. We grew less than 80,000 acres of Hemp in 2018, a small drop in the agricultural bucket compared to more conventional crops like alfalfa (1.5 million acres) and cotton (8.5 million acres). Still, that 80,000 acres represents a 300% increase from the previous year, and the explosion of demand for CBD products is rapidly increasing Hemp acreage worldwide. As this huge increase in supply continues, products made from other parts of the plant will become increasingly cost competitive.

The point is this: the Hemp industry can be so much more than just CBD, but nobody is going to take us seriously if they think Hemp is just another word for weed. If we’re going to achieve the goal of becoming a net positive industry - one that’s good for the planet, the people, and the economy - then we need to police ourselves as an industry and demand more responsible consumer education is provided. In the face of uncertain regulation, rapidly increasing consumer demand, and changing attitudes toward renewables, it is imperative that the Hemp industry stands together and presents a unified front. We need to clear up the confusion that’s been created by poor government administration and arbitrary standards of compliance by establishing clear definitions of what Hemp is, what CBD is, what marijuana is, and what the differences are between them.