The Plants
There are three main species of cannabis plants:
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Cannabis sativa
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Cannabis indica
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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
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Refers to cannabis that’s harvested for industrial uses
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Uses include: food, clothing, cosmetics, shoes, textiles and rope, paper, building materials, wall construction, insulation, bioplastic and biofuel
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Contains less than 0.3% THC (the derivative of cannabis that gives you the ‘high’ feeling)
Marijuana
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Refers to cannabis that can be used for medicinal and recreational purposes
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Contains more than 0.3% THC (providing the ability to induce a feeling of being ‘high’ in the user)
CBD
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Oil that is derived from both hemp and marijuana
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Whether it’s from the hemp plant or marijuana plant, the CBD oil is the same at the molecular level
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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
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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).