Hemp, scientifically defined as Cannabis
sativa, is a plant, each part of which can be put to use: the
stalk, seeds, and flowers. It is also called industrial
hemp, plant of the family Cannabaceae cultivated for its
bast fibre or its edible seeds1. It is an eco-friendly,
organic, ecological and climate-adaptive crop. Hemp does not need
any pesticides for nourishment and growth, and requires minimal
quantity of water, way less than other crops like cotton. It is
also high yielding per area of land than other crops.
Hemp is sometimes confused with the cannabis plants that serve
as sources of the drug marijuana and the drug preparation hashish.
Although all three products—hemp, marijuana, and
hashish—contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a compound that
produces psychoactive effects in humans, the variety of cannabis
cultivated for hemp has only small amounts of THC relative to that
grown for the production of marijuana or hashish2.
