A legal term that refers to cannabis varieties that produce less than .03% THC in a mature flowering plant. It is often used to refer to varieties that have been bred for agricultural purposes.
Cannabis that has traditionally been bred for food or fiber. Hemp is a legal, and not taxonomic, definition. Legally, hemp is differentiated from cannabis based on the amount of THC it produces. In order for a variety of cannabis to be considered hemp in most of the world, it’s flowers must produce less than .3% THC by dry weight.
Summary from Wikipedia:
Hemp, or industrial hemp (from Old English hænep), typically found in the northern hemisphere, is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 10,000 years ago. It can be refined into a variety of commercial items including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.
Although cannabis as a drug and industrial hemp both derive from the species Cannabis sativa and contain the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), they are distinct strains with unique phytochemical compositions and uses. Hemp has lower concentrations of THC and higher concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD), which decreases or eliminates its psychoactive effects. The legality of industrial hemp varies widely between countries. Some governments regulate the concentration of THC and permit only hemp that is bred with an especially low THC content.
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