The Plants

There are three main species of cannabis plants:

  1. Cannabis sativa
  2. Cannabis indica
  3. Cannabis ruderalis

Hemp and marijuana are broadly classified as ‘cannabis’ but are not the same thing as one another, nor are they synonyms for ‘cannabis’.

Hemp 

  • Refers to cannabis that’s harvested for industrial uses
  • Uses include: food, clothing, cosmetics, shoes, textiles and rope, paper, building materials, wall construction, insulation, bioplastic and biofuel
  • Contains less than 0.3% THC (the derivative of cannabis that gives you the ‘high’ feeling)

Marijuana

  • Refers to cannabis that can be used for medicinal and recreational purposes
  • Contains more than 0.3% THC (providing the ability to induce a feeling of being ‘high’ in the user)

CBD

  • Oil that is derived from both hemp and marijuana
  • Whether it’s from the hemp plant or marijuana plant, the CBD oil is the same at the molecular level
  • If CBD oil is derived from an industrial hemp strain approved by the EU and has less than 0.3% THC, then it’s legal to use
  • Even if CBD oil has less than 0.3% THC but has come from the marijuana plant, it is NOT legal in the UK or Europe (or America, for that matter).