CBD products are taking a large share in the medicine market. Because of its potential growth and promising future, growing hemp has become an active agricultural project. You should know that CBD comes from cannabis plants. This cannabis plant has two variants for producing CBD, and one of them is hemp. Hemp is considered a legal agricultural plant.
Many countries are involved in mass hemp production to grab the market share. The USA is one of the countries that consider hemp development as the future of the agricultural market. Their 2014 and 2018 Farm Bill had a great impact on the progress and consideration. Let’s talk about the USA farm bills, hemp, and its potential growth in current conditions.
What Exactly Is Hemp?
So, What is Hemp? Hemp is a type of cannabis plant that we use to extract CBD and other cannabinoids. But, hemp is not the only source of CBD. Marijuana is another type of plant that contains CBD. Previously, marijuana was the most used source of CBD. Even now, many countries use marijuana to extract CBD. However, the law restricts companies from extracting CBD from marijuana. So, the hemp product is getting higher and higher for commercial usages.
Even though hemp and marijuana are identical, there is a huge difference between them. But, the difference is because of the law. Certainly, it depends on the THC level. Hemp contains THC up to 0.3%. But, marijuana contains THC on a much higher level.
Do you know what THC is? THC is known as delta-8 or tetrahydrocannabinol. It has high psychoactive effects. While CBD works for health improvement, THC can cause several issues. The most common effect we know is getting high. Many types of illegal drugs are also made of marijuana plants because of their high THC level. Thus, there is extremely high law restriction over the use of marijuana.
Now, is hemp legal to cultivate? Yes, it is. Because hemp has THC of less than 0.3%, which is not harmful, it also doesn’t get us high enough to lose active consciousness. Because of that, most commercial CBD products come from organic and primate hemp farms. So, hemp is a cannabis plant and CBD source that doesn’t contain more than 0.3% THC.
What’s in The 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills?
In the USA, Farm Bills are the government rules in the agricultural section. The 2014 farm bill is the first bill that recognized hemp as an agricultural product. It is permitted that growing hemp is legal, but that has to be under the legal permission. The bill also stated that the legal threshold of THC will be less than 0.3%.
The 2018 farm Bill prioritized hemp even more. In 2014 farm, it was still a controlled substance which will be under several restrictions and observations. But, the 2018 Farm bill made it more flexible. It states hemp as a legal agricultural commodity and takes out the controlled restriction. So, hemp cultivation can be used for insurance and other stuff. Although, it is not as open as other crops. The THC and development restrictions are still there. It is a must to consult with the authority before starting the cultivation. So, you have to maintain a proper cultivation procedure to grow hemp.
Why Is It That Hemp Products Have Been Made Legal?
Several reasons are there for hemp products to be legal. The reason why CBD products were not legal for a long time is the THC. People used to produce CBD from marijuana. So, CBD products contain a higher dosage of THC. It caused many health effects and also loss of consciousness. Many drugs come from it, and people often get into crimes or illegal activities due to its effect. The drug market also went through a revolution because of marijuana (THC).
But, hemp does not contain THC of more than 0.3%. It is scientifically proven that it doesn’t cause the same side effects as marijuana. Rather CBD from hemp plants improves our physical and mental condition. Having a little bit of THC also strengthens the effect, which is also considerable.
As in the market, CBD has got huge popularity for its effective work on our health. It even works when many known medicines fail. Because of the satisfactory CBD medicine impact, hemp cultivation was seriously necessary. It also provides the potential benefit of getting a huge market share. So, why not make it legal and improve the production?
After all, it is scientifically and practically proven that we can use hemp as a legal source of CBD. Even more, people are satisfied with its medicinal value. Besides, CBD is a versatile element, so different types of products are possible out of it. CBD oil, CBD tinctures, CBD drinks, CBD capsules, CBD gummy are, and similar names are pretty common to us.
In The United States, Where Is Hemp Legal to Grow?
Most states in the USA are already under the legislation and approve of growing hemp. After the 2018 Farm Bill, at least 38 states were allowed to grow hemp. After the 2019 Farm Bill, at least 47 states are allowed to grow hemp legally. Any state that has enough facilities and is capable of maintaining the hemp laws can grow it. Although a few states are still under consideration over full access. Check out the latest Farm Bill update to learn the state names.
Why are Hemp Farmers Treated in The Same Way as Other Farmers?
There was a certain debate that hemp farmers are not as respected as other farmers. Most of those debates came because of marijuana. As marijuana is a global source of different illegal drugs, people used to see it differently. Thus, they didn’t give importance to marijuana or hemp farmers. But, the situation is different now.
Through research, we can differentiate between hemp and marijuana. Besides, CBD has become one of the most popular medicine ingredients that boost our health. So, most countries have accepted hemp as a legal agricultural product. Thus, the hemp farmers are now on the same ground as other farmers.
Final Thoughts
Hemp is now a potential game-changer for the world agricultural market. CBD products’ legal demand is forcing hemp’s growth which is quite expected. In the USA, hemp is now legal for cultivation. After three consecutive bills, they have ensured its promising future. The 2014 Farm Bill, 2018 Farm Bill, and 2019 Farm Bill have constructed the hemp law pretty well.
We also mentioned what hemp is and why it is legal even though marijuana isn’t. On top of that, we also described why it has a promising future in the market. Many countries are already developing hemp widely. The USA is a bit behind regarding that. Most of the supplies are still from Canada. But, they can construct a stable hemp market for themselves if the development rises in the upcoming years.
