Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance in the world today. It's use is also the most controversial. With legalization efforts underway, it is important to have the facts.
Marijuana is made from the plant cannabis sativa, a plant that grows wild (and is also cultivated indoors and out) throughout many regions. Most of the marijuana used in the United States comes from sources in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Marijuana consists of the buds, leaves, and resin of the cannabis plant. The stalks and sterilized seeds are considered hemp.
Cannabinoids & Hemp
The plant, cannabis sativa, contains chemicals called cannabinoids. Delta-9-tetrhydrocannabinol (THC) is the cannabinoid believed to be responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis.
THC can be found in all parts of the cannabis plant, including hemp. This is why hemp is regulated carefully-some hemp products such as clothing, rope, yarn, lotion and soap are legal products because they do not cause THC to enter the human body.
The DEA states, "While most of the THC in cannabis plants is concentrated in the marijuana, all parts of the plant, including hemp, have been found to contain THC. The existence of THC in hemp is significant because THC, like marijuana, is a schedule 1 controlled substance."