Richard Barge
The differences between
Industrial Hemp , Medicinal Cannabis , Marijuana
The difference relates to THC , we are the low THC industrial hemp industry , less than 0.34-35 % THC .
Medicinal cannabis can be both low and high THC and recreational Marijuana is high THC generally above 5 +% .
All of the above are cannabis plants . As an industrial / horticultural plant low THC iHemp has no use as a narcotic drug .
The iHemp industry has a PR issue , the problem many people have is the association of cannabis with marijuana .
This goes back to the US Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 , which was the beginning of racially inspired legislation using “ marijuana ” a Mexican slang word – for cannabis to create a framework to stop the hemp industry , from providing raw materials for the paper , fuel , textile , medical , food and many other industries .
In the years that followed people were brain washed by campaigns such as “ Refer Madness ”, that demonised marijuana and promoted the myth that cannabis is a dangerous narcotic drug . This resulted in the UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 .
This was picked up on in our Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 , which classed all parts of cannabis including the seed as a Class C Drug .
Interestingly this went against the UN Convention , Article 28.2 , which states , “ This Convention shall not apply to the cultivation of the cannabis plant exclusively for Industrial purposes ( fibre and seed ) or Horticultural purposes .”
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We have an iHemp industry in New Zealand , which currently involves the