Why Hemp?

We're all familiar with the stigma surrounding cannabis, which can be attributed to marijuana and its psychoactive effects. For decades, those looking for a more intense "high" have bred strains of marijuana with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) concentrations that are through the roof. THC is the most well-known of the more than 100 active compounds found in hemp, and in large doses is the source of the feelings of euphoria and altered sense of time experienced by marijuana users.

For those of us that are seeking the potential health benefits of cannabis, without the "high", a more reasonable alternative is necessary. 

Hemp has been used for thousands of years to make products like clothing, paper, textiles, biofuel, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation -- it has more than 25,000 applications in all. 

The political climate of the 19th century was not hemp friendly – mainly because of its familial link to marijuana. In recent years, as the therapeutic value of CBD has become more widely known, producers in states on the forefront of cannabis legalization have switched their focus to CBD-rich plants like hemp. 

After decades of prohibition, the 2018 Farm Bill drastically transformed hemp policy in the United States, and federally legalized the cultivation and production of industrial hemp, as well as hemp-extracted products like CBD oils. 

As a result of the policy change, federal law now differentiates hemp from other cannabis plants, and the cultivation of hemp is treated like any other agricultural commodity. By law, legally compliant hemp cannot contain more than 0.3% THC. 

To put that percentage into perspective, the typical marijuana plant ranges anywhere from 5% to 50% THC concentration. Legal hemp has no more than a 0.3% concentration of THC. What is the significance of that difference? When you use a full-spectrum hemp-extract product, the THC present is not significant enough to result in any intoxicating effects. 

What you’ll experience instead is the therapeutic properties of this versatile compound. THC also plays a pivotal role in the entourage effect – the synergistic relationship between the active compounds found in the hemp plant. 

While the low concentration of THC found in full-spectrum hemp-extract products isn’t enough to get you “high”, it is enough to cause you to fail a drug-screening. Our Pure CBD line of products have No Detectable (ND)* levels of THC, verified by third-party Certificates of Analysis (COA). 

At Hometown Hemp, our full-spectrum and pure CBD oils are extracted from 100% Kentucky grown hemp – a significant portion of which is cultivated by farmers based out of our hometown of London, KY. Once their hemp is fully grown, it is sent to Winchester, KY for processing. From seed to bottle, our oils never leave the state of Kentucky. 

*Lower limit of detection (LOD) is .01 parts-per-million (PPM)

References:

Konieczny, Eileen, and Lauren Wilson. Healing with CBD: How Cannabidiol Can Transform Your Health without the High. Ulysses Press, 2018.

Hudak, John. (2018, Dec 14). The Farm Bill, hemp legalization and the status of CBD: An explainer. Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/12/14/the-farm-bill-hemp-and-cbd-explainer/