While both hemp and “marijuana” are theoretically variations of the Cannabis sativa plant, there are major distinctions among them.
In the US, the legal definition of “industrial hemp,” (as defined in Section 7606 of the Agricultural Appropriations Act of 2014), is “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.”
Marijuana generally refers to Cannabis sativa plants that have a high concentration of THC, and the word stems from the recreational use of THC rich cannabis for the purpose of getting “high.” Hemp plants possess a high concentration of CBD, with only traces of THC, and hemp extracts are associated with medicinal use.
