From a biological perspective, both hemp and marijuana belong to the same plant family – Cannabis, said botanist Valentina POLIKSENOVA. The only difference between them lies in the content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the substance that causes the narcotic effect. Industrial (technical) hemp was indeed widely sown in the USSR. The THC content in it is negligible (less than 0.1%), which is why it is safe and was allowed for cultivation. During the Soviet years, it was a strategic raw material: its strong fibers (tow) were used to make ropes, twines, canvas, and fabrics, while the cake was used as animal feed. Marijuana is a narcotic product obtained exclusively from the flowers and leaves of specific southern varieties of hemp that are rich in THC. As for the hemp oil from our childhood, it had and has nothing to do with drugs. It is made exclusively from hemp seeds, which contain no THC at all (regardless of the plant variety). Today, cold-pressed hemp oil is freely sold in stores as a valuable superfood rich in beneficial omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
