Today on Ganjapreneur Shango Los is joined by Joy Beckerman, Founder of Hemp Ace International and Industrial Hemp Professional & Public Relations Specialist.
Industrial hemp includes varieties of Cannabis sativa that are intended for agricultural and industrial purposes. Industrial hemp is commercially grown in virtually every industrialized country in the world, except the United States. The special varieties are grown for their seed and fiber content, as well as byproducts. Industrial hemp fiber is used for textiles, rope, paper and building products. Hemp seed is used for food, feed and oil. Hemp oil is also the basis for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, inks, lubrication, household detergents, stain removers, varnishes, resins, and paints! Industrial hemp may even prove significant in the biofuel industry. The difference between industrial hemp and marijuana, also of the Cannabis sativa species, is the content of the hallucinogenic compound known as THC. Industrial hemp is low (0.3% or less) in THC whereas marijuana is high in THC (6% or greater).
Industrial hemp describes a large class of plant varieties in the Genus Cannabis that includes what is commonly known as marijuana. Hemp is distinguished by having very low concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinols, the family of organic compounds found in marijuana that produce psychoactive effects. Hemp is not psychoactive. Hemp is genetically different and distinguished by its use and chemical makeup. Hemp has long been cultivated for non-drug use in the production of industrial and other goods. Some estimate that the global market for hemp consists of more than 25,000 products. It can be grown as a fiber, seed, or other dual-purpose crop.