The Hemp Hype

You may not be an expert on hemp but even if you are not very familiar with it, I am sure you have at least heard the term. Hemp is one of the oldest domesticated crops known to man, with the oldest relic being a scrap of hemp fabric that dates all the way back to 8,000 BC and the United States Congress is on the brink of making hemp legal to grow for the first time in almost a century, yes… 100 years.

All derivatives of cannabis have been banned and criminalized in the United States since 1937 when the Marijuana Tax Act went into effect. It was even been classified in the same category as dangerous substances like ecstasy and LSD, and not until 2014 did legislation pass a law that allowed some farmers to grown hemp, with the approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Now it is finally being acknowledged that although marijuana and hemp both come from the same plant, they are very different. Hemp contains less than 0.3 percent of THC which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that makes a user feel “high”. Hemp on the other hand does not alter your state of mind and there are endless uses for it.
So why all the hype?

• First, it's Not Marijuana. CBD is a chemical compound that is found naturally in cannabis and contains not only wellness properties, but is useful in textiles and much more.

• CBD now comes in pills, oil drops, topical creams, vapes, teas, syrups, edibles and other forms by extraction and infusion.

• We are in the infancy stages of understanding all CBD can do. We already know it can treat issues like chronic pain, epilepsy, Crohn's disease, mental illness and even addiction; and this is just the beginning.

The legalization of hemp brings with it a whole new industry in the work force that would provide plenty of opportunities for new jobs and economic growth. Also being that hemp is so versatile, it can be grown in many climates and conditions.

We are headed into a whole new era undoing years of prejudice and fear of the unknown when it comes to cannabis. It really is an exciting time to be alive and the full legalization of cannabis has the potential to completely change the course of the future, as well as the potential of easing the overpopulation in our jails and prisons for inmates doing hard time for marijuana charges.

Looks like CBD is here to stay and we are lucky to have it.