When most people think about the cannabis industry, they will probably think of marijuana rather than hemp. And that is okay because of the fact that marijuana is more popular and has normally been more profitable than hemp (in spite of its legal status).
However, smokable hemp has now become widely available, and most people would agree that it is a big game-changer for the industry. Here are four main reasons why:
The Hemp Industry Has Changed
Hemp has been cultivated and used for thousands of years. In fact, it may have been one of the first crops cultivated by mankind.
However, most of it has not been cultivated for the purpose of smoking. Hemp fibers can be used to make very tough cloth, and the hemp industry has always been built around that purpose.
As the laws have been relaxed and its restrictions on the usage of hemp has been lifted, the hemp industry now finds itself with a lot of opportunities.
Although hemp producers will probably continue to focus on the fibers, they now have a whole new market in which they can expand.
1. Health Benefits of Hemp Flower Without The High
CBD, which is the active ingredient in hemp flowers, has been shown to have many health benefits.
The other components of the cannabis plant have also been shown to have certain benefits, but the CBD is clearly the main source of its medicinal value.
Smoking hemp offers very high levels of CBD without psychoactive effects. Those psychoactive effects come from a different chemical called THC, and smokable hemp contains little to no THC.
2. More Growing Opportunities
Traditionally the hemp flower has been heavily regulated in the United States since 1937, which was a huge setback for the hemp industry as a whole.
In fact, hemp production was mostly illegal until 2018, when the passage of the farm bill allowed for the production of low-THC strains. As long as the plant has less than 0.3% THC, it is allowed. This means hemp production is now legal in all states.
When you are growing hemp for its fibers, you need a huge crop in order to produce a significant amount.
On the other hand, smokable hemp produces a lot more usable material per plant. That opens the door for a lot more small-scale production in a lot more places.
3. More Cost-Effective
As we already mentioned, hemp usually produces more product per acre when used for smoking. Not only that, smokable hemp usually sells for more money than an equal amount of hemp fiber.
That’s mainly because hemp flower is the final product that the customer is going to use. Whereas, the fiber is not the final product. The cloth manufacturers will then have to weave those fibers and make it into something attractive that people will buy.
Because of that small distinction, a grower can get a lot more profit per acre. And the increase in profitability is not just because more smokable hemp can be produced in a small portion of land, it’s because hemp flower can be used as a fertilizer as well.
Instead of extracting nutrients from the ground, hemp does the opposite, it delivers excess nutrients to the soil, making it more fertile. Which means that the land can be used to grow some other crop as well. This study indicates that compost made from hemp has great potential.
4. Treatment for Many Chronic Conditions
As the medicinal effects of CBD become more widely known, more and more people will turn towards it instead of using their standard medical treatments. This often includes a lot of people with chronic conditions who are not satisfied with standard medical treatments.
As the hemp industry shifts its focus away from fiber production and towards the medical field, a lot of changes will have to be made.
For one thing, medical products are a lot more heavily regulated than cloth, and the industry will have a whole new host of regulations with which to comply.
Sanitation will become more important than ever, and the risk of product tampering will become much greater. All in all, this represents a radical shift in an industry that still isn’t fully developed.
5. A Medicine With No Serious Side Effects
Normally, most medicines come with unpleasant side effects. These can range from very mild discomfort to serious problems, but CBD and hemp are very much on the low end of that scale.
When we look at the side effects of CBD, we see that most of them are either vague or minor. Some of these side effects are:
- Dry mouth
- Lowered blood pressure
- Temporary light-headedness
- Drowsiness
- Liver strain (very rare instances)
As you can see, none of these are serious issues except for the last one. Since it has only been shown to be harmful to the liver in rare and unusual instances, it’s not a serious concern for most people. Basically, it just means that you should probably avoid CBD flower if you have chronic liver issues.
So, how will this affect the hemp industry? We think it is obvious. Because it has no real dangers associated with its use, hemp isn’t regulated as harshly as other drugs.
That means hemp producers will have fewer problems and fewer compliance hurdles to jump through. As such, hemp producers will likely find themselves in a unique “middle-ground” scenario.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that smokeable hemp flowers like the ones from Mr Hemp Flower have the potential to change the entire cannabis industry.
For a long time, it has been illegal to use this plant for anything other than cloth (and even that was illegal for quite some time). Now that these restrictions have been removed, the whole game is likely to change.
As you might imagine, this is the point at which anyone can potentially take the lead. Those companies and individuals who foresee the changes will be in a much better position to take advantage of them.
- The Ultimate Guide to Delta 8 Disposable Vapes: What You Need to Know - March 8, 2024
- The Environmental Impact of CBD Production - August 28, 2023
- Cannabis In Thailand: A Green Revolution - August 15, 2023
