Hemp Plants vs. Cannabis Plants: Extraction of CBD and Benefits
May 5th 2021
You say tomato. I say tomato. These two words, though pronounced differently, mean exactly the same thing. You say potato. I say potato. Again these words mean the same exact thing. However, if you were to say tomato, and I were to say heirloom tomato, we might not be talking about the same thing-- but, then again, we still might be. Terminology can be confusing. Let’s call the whole tomato/potato thing off!
Some terminology that can be harder to grasp for people is the distinction between hemp plants and cannabis plants. Where do they differ? How are they similar? Is there really even a difference? Let’s take a look at this and how it relates to from where your CBD products come.
Hemp Products vs. Cannabis Products: Where to Draw the Line
If you were to look at the family tree of hemp, marijuana, and cannabis plants, the common ancestor is cannabis. All marijuana and all hemp can be classified as cannabis. This is where the family tree branches off. The 2018 Farm Bill laid the foundation for what became known as hemp and what became known as marijuana, at least from a legal standpoint. It made a clear legal distinction that marijuana products and plants are any that are above 0.3% THC. Hemp products and plants on the other hand are any that are below 0.3% THC.1
Cannabis is a more inclusive term. A hemp plant is a cannabis plant, and a hemp product is a cannabis product. A cannabis plant, however, may be referring to a marijuana plant or a hemp plant. A cannabis product may be referring to a marijuana product or a hemp product.
From Where Did Your Cannabidiol (CBD) Come, and Why Does It Matter?
So the only legal distinction between cannabis, hemp, and marijuana is the amount of THC present. This is important because THC is the psychoactive compound in cannabis varieties. CBD is non-psychoactive, and it is found in both marijuana and hemp. Strains of cannabis have been selectively bred to be high in CBD, and these strains are usually low in THC, but they are not always low enough to be considered hemp.
From where your CBD extract originated matters. If you get a full-spectrum CBD oil that was extracted from marijuana, it almost certainly contains higher levels of THC compared to one from hemp extracts. If you wanted marijuana oil high in both THC and CBD, you wouldn’t be able to find the cannabis oil benefits you’re after from hemp.
Pure CBD isolate contains just CBD, and it has been extracted and refined to include no other cannabinoids, flavonoids, or terpenes. Which type of cannabis from which it came is of no consequence because all THC has been removed. It only provides potential CBD benefits.
Always check the label of any product you are consuming to know what you are putting in your body to be absorbed. If available, check for a third-party batch test as they are more accurate than what is mass printed on every label. Third-party testing also ensures reliability and accountability.
Complete Hemp’s Lineup
Complete Hemp’s products are made exclusively from hemp. We offer the following:
However you want to refer to your hemp or cannabis CBD products, Complete Hemp will be here for you with only our finest offerings!
References
1https://www.fda.gov/news-events/congressional-testimony/hemp-production-and-2018-farm-bill-07252019