Go green! The Future of Hemp in Oklahoma

What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?

What is hemp? Is hemp the same as marijuana? Can you grow hemp in Oklahoma?

Like marijuana, hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa. The two plants themselves are almost identical, but they differ in how (and why) they were bred—a bit like how some chickens are bred to lay eggs while others are bred for meat.

Over thousands of years, humans have bred hemp primarily to enhance its textile properties. More recently, farmers have bred Marijuana to increase the presence of THC, the psychoactive compound found in medicinal cannabis. Both plants include the compound CBD, but hemp products won’t get you high.

What is hemp used for?

Hemp fibers (from the plant’s stems) can be used for all sorts of practical applications, including fabrics, ropes, paper, and even biodegradable plastics.

Hemp is a fast-growing sustainable plant. There’s a reason people often call cannabis “weed”: it grows prolifically with little water or harmful chemicals. Producing hemp-based clothing uses only 25% of the water needed to produce cotton clothing. The hemp industry is also making great strides towards reducing deforestation associated with traditional tree-based fibers.

We can use other parts of the hemp plant for fuel, feedstock, concrete and human consumption. In particular, the seeds are a great source of protein.

What is CBD?

Of course, one of the most exciting properties of hemp is the powerful compound cannabidiol or CBD. CBD is found in both hemp and medicinal cannabis plants, and it has a wide range of promising therapeutic applications.

CBD is FDA-approved to treat epilepsy, and doctors and patients around the world are finding that it helps with many other conditions, including pain, arthritis, anxiety, and more. There is a lot of exciting research around CBD, THC, and the other compounds found in cannabis. It’s clear that they all have some incredible medicinal properties, but much of how they work together is still unknown.

CBD is processed into a wide variety of oils, edibles, drinks, topical creams, and more. You can buy CBD products off the shelf at dispensaries, groceries, or even coffee shops—no medical prescription required.

Is hemp in Oklahoma legal?

Because of its close ties to marijuana, federal and state governments has long banned and stigmatized the hemp plant. Recently, however, the industry has recognized that hemp’s many benefits are too good to be ignored! As of 2018, hemp and CBD products are completely legal across the country, but growing hemp is actually still prohibited in a handful of states.

It’s worth noting that hemp farming is highly regulated. Every hemp crop is tested and must come in below the 0.3% THC threshold. This regulation can be particularly challenging to farmers because the chemical properties of cannabis are highly dependent on growing conditions, location, and even when the plants are tested. These tight restrictions mean that growing hemp can be an unfortunately high-stakes game. Farmers can easily invest a whole season of hard work only to lose their entire crop right before harvest.

The future of medicinal cannabis and hemp in Oklahoma

Here at Rocking Star Farm, we’re excited about the future of growing hemp in Oklahoma. There are many great opportunities to include hemp varieties in our current lineup of medicinal cannabis plants, especially outdoors.

Interested in learning more about RSF hemp production? Give us a shout!