What is the difference?
Hemp and Cannabis?
Hemp is a species of plant that belongs to the cannabis family (Cannabaceae). The hemp plant is one of the oldest and most useful plants on earth. Cannabis is the Latin name for hemp.
The term hemp is often used colloquially to refer to the production of consumer products (hemp paper or hemp clothing) or food (hemp oil or CBD oil). Doctors and scientists tend to use the term “cannabis.” Similarly, cannabis is the term used to describe the narcotic (illegal drug) for recreational use.
Hemp (Cannabis) has been cultivated for centuries. In 1753, the Swedish natural scientist Carl von Linné first classified "common hemp" ( Cannabis sativa L.). About 32 years later, the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet and Chevalier de Lamarck discovered Indian hemp ( Cannabis indica ). It differs from the varieties of C. sativa not only in its growth habits, but also in its content, as it contains less THC and produces more CBD.
In 1926, the Russian botanist Dmitri E. Janischewsky described another species of cannabis, ruderal hemp ( Cannabis ruderalis ). Compared to the sativa variety, ruderal hemp, like Indian hemp, has a high CBD content and a low THC content.
Appearance
The typical marijuana plant looks very different from the hemp plant. Marijuana plants tend to have broader leaves and denser, more resinous buds surrounded by tiny hairs (pistils). Hemp plants, grown for their seeds, produce less resin, and the buds are smaller and less compact.
Hemp displays the typical characteristics of Cannabis sativa , including longer, thinner leaves and fibrous stems. Compared to a marijuana plant (which can be quite bushy and robust), the hemp plant is thinner, with fewer branches and foliage.
In large-scale cultivation, where many plants are grown together, the hemp plant may have a single large stem. Hemp varieties grown for fibre and seed can be quite tall, reaching heights of 5-6 metres.
Sex on the plant
One of the main misconceptions about hemp, aside from the belief that it is a different species from cannabis, is that all hemp plants are male. However, this is incorrect.
Hemp plants, like any other cannabis plants, can be either female or male. Only the females develop flowers (buds), while the males produce pollen sacs. When grown in close proximity, the males can pollinate the females, causing them to produce seeds.
For hemp growers producing fiber or seed, female pollination is not a big problem; it may even be desirable. However, if hemp is grown for its cannabinoids, seedy buds are a problem, as they result in a lower quality end product with fewer cannabinoids.
For this reason (and this is no different from growing cannabis for recreational purposes), large commercial hemp growers dedicated to cannabinoid production keep their female plants in separate, sealed greenhouses, to prevent pollination by males.
Crop
Although technically the same plant species, hemp and marijuana are grown differently. Hemp is usually grown in large plots, with little space between plants (e.g. just 10 cm). Marijuana, on the other hand, is usually planted with more space between plants to promote plant health, deter pathogens, and encourage lateral growth.
Hemp is also much less demanding than marijuana. While the latter grows best in a controlled environment, where temperature and humidity levels are monitored, hemp can be grown in all types of climates and environments.
The growing cycles of both plants are also different: hemp usually takes about 110-120 days to reach maturity, while marijuana only needs 60-90 days, depending on the strain.
Hemp and marijuana should not be grown together. If hemp accidentally pollinates marijuana plants, it will greatly reduce the quality of the final product.