Consumers in the United States have gone crazy over hemp. And from the sales projections, it doesn’t look like our love affair with hemp is going away. At least not anytime soon.
According to Statistica, consumer sales of cannabidiol (CBD) may reach 1.8 billion dollars by 2022.
That said, The New York Times shared a long post talking about instances indicating people, in general, are not sure about the status of Hemp. It also discussed how popular CBD has been in the country.
Many people don’t know the rules and complain when they’re caught with an abusive substance. Let’s sort out this confusion over hemp.
The first question is, Is hemp legal? Yes or no; pretty straightforward to know. Now comes a tricky one.
If it is legal, what kind of products can you buy, smoke, and carry without getting into trouble?
The good news is that the 2018 United States Farm Bill legalized hemp. The new law also removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Legal hemp must not contain any more than 0.30% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
What Kind of Hemp Wellness Products Are Available?
There are many different kinds of hemp wellness products to explore. Some dispensaries provide prerolls, which are hemp cigarettes. These look like normal cigarettes, but there’s no tobacco.
Also known as CBD cigarettes, prerolls are packed with CBD that, of course, is derived from hemp, a cannabis plant. So, if you didn’t know you can smoke hemp, you know it now. This way, your body receives CBD directly through the mouth.
In a way, prerolls help a great deal in diminishing the need for tobacco amongst chain smokers. Continuous use can bring your tobacco consumption down to zero.
When decarboxylated (smoked), hemp releases CBD compounds. But smokable hemp is not the only option.
People with health conditions who want to add hemp to their wellness plan can choose from:
- Tinctures or drops (sublingual uptake)
- Hemp supplements or capsules
- Oils made of hemp for aromatherapy
- Hemp-derived CBD edibles (gummies, candies, or baked goods)
- Hemp fiber dietary powders (add to your baking or foods)
- Whole-flower hemp buds (smokable)
- Hemp cigarettes
- Hemp vape cartridges
- Creams and lotions for pain relief or skin problems
While it is a federal offense to mail cannabis products, hemp is legal. As long as the hemp product has 0.30% THC or less, it won’t get you into trouble.
Companies that make hemp products can sell online and ship nationally. You can even find hemp products on Amazon.
Hemp ‘Cigarettes’ for Smoking Cessation
Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs on the planet. And tobacco delivers high amounts of nicotine.
Let’s find out what the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed:
- Out of all the people who smoke, one billion are men. 35% of them belong to developed countries and 50% live in developing countries.
- The world smoked 5.7 trillion cigarettes in 2016 and China dominated with over 40% of cigarettes smoked in the country
- 8 million people die each year due to tobacco consumption, and 1.2 million of them are passive smokers (who don’t smoke but inhale the second-hand smoke)
Talking about US-based smokers, almost 14 out of every 100 American adults have smoked. In 2019 an estimated 34.1 million people in the United States smoked tobacco. And of that number, 16 million Americans live with a disease that is related to smoking.
The CDC shares that anyone who has consumed more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime is a smoker. Just over 15% of smokers are men. Almost 37% of smokers are aged 25 to 64 years. And if quitting was easy to do, they’d stop smoking. But leaving is hard to do.
Nicotine vapes have not been proven to be any safer than smoking cigarettes. Reports of a condition called “popcorn lung” followed after the vapes became popular.
Studies suggested that flavored vapes can cause the most harm. They were not a better alternative for people who wanted to quit smoking.
However, hemp cigarettes are becoming very popular. Not only do they look like a cigarette, but they also smoke like one too. Hemp cigarettes are available with or without filters. The average cigarette has more than 7,000 chemicals.
Hemp cigarettes can be a great way to stop smoking. They don’t have nicotine or other carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals. Some people have successfully quit tobacco products by smoking hemp instead.
Is It Okay to Travel With Hemp Products in Your Possession?
Absolutely. But there are two main concerns:
- First, law enforcement may not tell the difference between cannabis and a 0.30% THC hemp oil or flower. They may need a THC testing kit.
- Second, if the THC test kit is not available, law enforcement may seize your CBD even if they do not press a criminal charge against you.
The Transportation Security Administration has guided travelers. And again, they warn that it depends on the security personnel. They may be okay with it if they can quickly identify the substance as hemp, not marijuana.
So one good idea is to keep it in an unopened package until you arrive at your destination. The label must indicate all the ingredients used, their dosage, and the amount per serving. If you can, keep a receipt to show airport security or border control that it’s not cannabis.