Hemp vs Weed
The Confusion
​Hemp Vs Weed the Confusion
Cannabis is a family of plants with two primary classifications , Indica & Sativa. While marijuana can be considered a member of either the Indica or Sativa families, Hemp is a member of the Cannabis Sativa family.
Because Hemp and Marijuana both derive from the Cannabis Sativa family, they do share certain similarities; however, due to each plant’s biological structure, they have several very distinct and crucial differences.
Hemp vs Marijuana: Anatomy
To the untrained eye, hemp and marijuana can appear similar, but if you know what to look for, each plant has very clear distinctions.
Marijuana features broad leaves, dense buds and has a short, bushy appearance. In stark contrast, Hemp features skinny leaves that are concentrated towards the top of the plant and grows taller and skinnier than Marijuana, with few branches beneath its upper portion.
When compared side by side, the two plants can each clearly be identified. As we dive deeper into the anatomy of the two plants, each has crucial differences in their chemical composition.
The Composition
Cannabis contains a variety of different compounds called Cannabinoids, two of rich, and the most dominant are Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD).
Both Cannabinoids have shown to provide profound benefits to the human body; however, THC induces psychoactive effects (gets the user “high”), while CBD does not contain any psychoactive properties.
When comparing Hemp vs Marijuana, this is a huge distinction; while Hemp contains a very low concentration of THC (0.3% or less), Marijuana is abundant in THC with concentrations between 15% to 40%.
Because of this, Hemp is grown primarily for industrial purposes, while Marijuana is grown for recreational and medicinal purposes.