T
difference
A WORLD OF
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has developed
a new cost-effective and time-saving process that
distinguishes hemp from marijuana
Words by Lucy MacKinnon
The rapid growth of CBD products and 2018’s Farm
Bill have seen an increase in hemp cultivation,
making the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s
(TBI) job a lot more complicated.
industry and law enforcement across the country.
Mike Lyttle, Assistant Director of Forensic Services
at TBI, said:
“This has been one of the greatest challenges in
As hemp and marijuana look, feel and smell
almost identical, federal agents have struggled forensic science over the past couple of years.
[How] do you tell the difference between marijuana
to differentiate between legal crops and their
recreational and currently illicit counterparts. and hemp?”
But now, the TBI has developed a solution that Hemp and marijuana respond very similarly to the
chemical testing currently used by the TBI and
could be a game-changer for both the cannabis other law enforcement agencies. However, their