On Dec. 20, 2018, the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 was passed into law, legalizing industrial hemp by removing it from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, according to the billís text. Hemp should not be confused with marijuana.Colleen Keahey Lanier, executive director of the Hemp Industries Association, said hemp is a plant from the same genus, but it has different properties and uses.According to the Colorado Department of Agricultureís website, ìThe Colorado Constitution defines Industrial hemp as ëa plant of the genus Cannabis and any part of that plant, whether growing or not, containing a Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of no more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis. Under Colorado State law, any Cannabis with a percentage of THC above 0.3% is considered marijuana.îThe confusion often stems from the leaf structure, which is the same for both varieties of plants because they are both from the cannabis genus, Lanier said. ìIn this case, we are dealing with a long prohibition of cannabis, the genus overall, without there being a proper designation for the species within that genus, such as hemp, that are not ëeuphoricí and do not contain that much THC,î she said.For decades, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program and state and local police have campaigned against the use of drugs with the familiar five-to-seven-fingered plant with a red slash over it, she said. People associate that plant with an illicit or unlawful product, even if the plant is hemp and not marijuana, Lanier said.ìWhen people see mushrooms in the supermarket, they do not necessarily think that it is an illicit product, even though some varieties may contain substances that are considered illicit or controlled,î she said. ìWhat we hope is that people will stop associating the look of the cannabis plant with it being a controlled substance.îHemp can have many uses ó as a quality textile material, rope, paper and plastic materials, Lanier said. Additionally, research has shown that the numerous types of cannabinoids found in hemp can be extremely beneficial to the human body through its endocannabinoid system, she said.The endocannabinoid system is comprised of different receptors throughout the human body that benefit from the roughly 130 types of cannabinoids found in hemp, Lanier said. Our bodies contain hundreds of receptors in various organs, especially the brain, that respond beneficially to those cannabinoids, she said.ìThere is a huge market for this,î Lanier said. ìThere are a lot of people who do not want to get high; and, for the mass population, hemp is the cannabis variety that is perfect for them because it is more of a supplement to our health and not about having a changed experience.îHemp farming has been legal in Canada since 1998, putting the United States 20 years behind in terms of hemp cultivation, she said. Additionally, the U.S. has been the biggest buyer of hemp out of Canada, indicating how big the market is for non-psychotropic cannabis in this country, Lanier said.Hemp is one of the fastest growing industries the U.S. has probably ever seen, she said. The ultimate goal is to help people understand the benefits of hemp, while removing the stigma behind cannabis plants, she said.ìIt (prohibiting hemp cultivation and sales) has been essentially taking an entire genus of plants off the market because one subspecies has a certain effect,î Lanier said. ìAnd that is not good.îPull quote: The U.S. has been the biggest buyer of hemp out of Canada, indicating how big the market is for non-psychotropic cannabis in this country.
