What’s the difference between Hemp and Marijuana?

I see this question argued a lot with some people harboring pretty strong feelings on both sides about what is considered Hemp and what is Marijuana. This issue is particularly important as it relates to the use of CBD outside of established medical marijuana states.

What I’m here to tell you is that in a way, everyone is right. There is both essentially no difference, and at the same time all the difference in the world. What do I mean by that? Let’s see…

Hemp vs. Marijuana, What’s the Deal?

To start I’m going to direct you to a paradox known as the Ship of Theseus, which basically says if you start with a full ship and one by one over time replace the planks that make up the ship as they wear out, when does it stop being the original ship. Pretty deep, huh?

We face the same kind of dilemma with the question of Hemp vs. Marijuana. If someone genetically alters a marijuana strain by breeding it over many generations to have a higher CBD content and a lower THC content, when does that plant stop being marijuana and start being Hemp?

The law seems to say that answer is when the THC content is less than 0.3%. And this is the way in which the answer to this questions makes all the difference in the world. In order to bring the benefits of CBD to as many people as possible, it is important that we all recognize this difference and provide products that meet the legal definition of Hemp.

And in some ways, it would be easy to argue that the only definition that matters is that legal one.

We believe that it is important for people to remember the roots, so to speak, of where their CBD comes from. It has become fashionable in some quarters to draw this distinction as a very bright line and to disavow any relationship between Hemp and Marijuana.

When the truth is that they both lie across a spectrum of strains that provide a mix of helpful chemicals, CBD and THC both.

What is dangerous about thinking of them as two wholly separate things is that people will have a tendency to pronounce one thing better than the other. It’s a natural human urge, and once we start down that path it eventually has an effect on the people who use it.

Maybe someone who could be helped by using CBD oil or CBD vapes in their daily routine decides not to try something because they’ve been told that “hemp is inferior”. There are plenty of ways that that dynamic can manifest itself and none of them are good.

What is good is people finding relief for themselves using a benign and non-toxic compound. If everyone who is on Team Marijuana or Team Hemp can remember that our common goal is to see this wonderful thing that we’ve all found helpful in our lives, be available to everyone, the world would be a better place.

Thanks again for reading and keep sending us those questions, we’re trying to spread as much knowledge as possible and all of you are a big part of making that happen.