Can you Smoke Hemp in Public?

Smoking hemp has become one of the quickest growing trends since cannabis became legal in the United States. Law enforcement finds it difficult to determine the difference between hemp and marijuana. A key argument in favor of the legalization of industrial hemp was that an individual couldn’t get high on industrial hemp even if they consumed or smoked a field of the substance. The media even suggested that if everyone decided to start raiding the hemp crops situated in America in pursuit of smoking hemp, they would only get a headache. When lawmakers made the decision to legalize hemp in the U.S in 2018, the idea was that the substance/plant would be used only as processed fiber. It wasn’t supposed to be something that consumers would ingest in plant form. 

People are Buying Hemp Flower

However, it turns out that people are smoking hemp. It has gradually become one of the biggest growing trends in the cannabis industry. Users are buying hemp enthusiastically in the states where it has been legalized. These consumers are using it for several reasons. The hemp plant, which contains a mere 0.3% of THC (and doesn’t get the user intoxicated) is being bought as a way to reduce high-THC strains. The goal is to make the substance less potent. Some of the consumers are probably on the lookout for fast-acting relief to some health conditions including anxiety and insomnia. These people have been buying hemp buds instead of edibles, tinctures, vapes, and oils. This is one of the reasons why the number of people using smokable hemp could increase greatly. But the question still remains, Can you smoke hemp in public?

Smokable Hemp is Only a Small Part of the Hemp Market

According to the general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, Jonathan Miller while speaking to New England Public Radio:

“Smokable hemp is just a small part of the CBD and hemp market, but it appears to be the one growing more rapidly.”

Although CBD oil has gained notoriety for being a substance that could reduce seizures in kids with epilepsy, the cannabinoid, derived from hemp and marijuana, has become a common name in the United States for its many therapeutic benefits. Cannabinoids received good news in 2018 when President Trump signed the Farm Bill that legalized the production of industrial hemp at the federal level. This was happening for the first time since the year 1937. There are countless numbers of hemp plants growing all over the country. More CBD products have been showing up more than ever before.

There’s a wrinkle. The problem is that the hemp plant looks very much like marijuana (both of which are classified in the cannabis family). The similarities between both substances have confused the authorities. They just cannot tell the difference. This can only be done with technology. This situation is causing problems for hemp smokers. Particularly those in states where marijuana is illegal. 

Even in the states where marijuana has been legalized, hemp smokers could be in trouble with the authorities if they decide to smoke hemp in public. Maybe law enforcement may not be able to stop anyone from smoking hemp outdoors. The reason is that it smells like marijuana.